I am so thankful summer is here. I adore the seasons, and one of the reasons is because it’s so reflective of life. Just when things are getting so cold and dry and lifeless, spring begins to creep in and you are reminded that it won’t be winter forever. Then of course summer is just full of sunshine, and winter seems so far away.

While the physical seasons are the same for everyone, it’s tough because the seasons of our life are always different than that of those around us. I was reminded of it this week when our company went through our very first round (and hopefully only) of layoffs since the economy tanked. It made the office a tough and awkward place to be. Watching anyone, no matter how old or experienced or friendly they are, pack up their office and haul their stuff down the hall in a cardboard box is strange and sad. You wonder, what will they do next? Will they find a job? What about their kids? What are they thinking right now? Life seems so steady and consistent one moment, and than everything changes in the next.

I think that’s another reason why all my planning and strategizing have seemed so fruitless and wasteful lately. I am thinking about THERE when I am HERE. I am thinking about THEN when I can only be RIGHT NOW. A little planning is definitely helpful, but we can’t hold too tight to those things we are so sure will happen. Life can be turned upside-down in a second, and we have to be ready to adjust and trust God. A well-planned and good life won’t get me close to God. BEING close to God will get me close to God.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you…” James 4:8