The way I see it, my summer has been divided into three chunks. First half, intermission/a week in Wisconsin, and second half. First half is almost over, and I'm still not sure whether this summer is passing by quickly or slowly for me. Maybe it's a little bit of both.
I think I'm officially in the swing of things back here at home. I have re-acclimated to my family's eating schedule (as my mom was so kind to point out to me tonight). No longer do I eat lunch at 1 or 2 and round it off with dinner at 6:30. I'm finding myself hungry for lunch at 11, and I'm hungrily leaning over the upstairs balcony at exactly 5:20, smelling to see if dinner is ready!
My neighbors have also gotten used to my presence again. Now they just smile and wave at me as I run or bike past their houses four or five times a day. And who could miss the trumpet? Yes, the noisy neighborhood musician is back. And when the windows are open, they all get a free concert! I must have toned it down a little though because two doors down, my neighbor actually thought I played the flute... Still not sure what to think about that one.
So, other than running, and biking, and trumpeting, I have been filling the rest of my time up with working and studying. I am never taking summer classes again. Ever. If I can at all help it at least. Summers are not meant for learning. It's as simple as that!
Well, summers aren't meant for textbook learning. I have been learning this summer because I asked God to keep teaching me stuff this summer. I was a little afraid He would push the pause button on my growth and just wait to hit play until September. But if there's one thing I learned and learned fast it's this: when you ask God to keep teaching you things, He will not leave you wanting. I mean there have been times these last few weeks that I have pleaded with God to show me what the heck He is doing! It's that old saying come true, "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it."
The way God has been growing me is almost too hard to put into words. It's been hard, even painful at times. There were days where the doubts and worries nearly swallowed me whole. But it's because of those doubts and worries that I learned to grow. I learned to depend on God's promises and God's promises alone to sustain me. Without all the struggle and fear, I would not have found a deeper trust in God. I would never have been forced to rely on him so completely.
Sometimes all I can do is thank God for the difficulties because if the end result is anything like I hope it will be, I cannot be thankful enough for the hardship. Just as it says in James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Not lacking in anything?! Now, that's the kind of promise that I could get excited about :)
