The Joy of Being Human | Enjoy It While It Lasts

Well, I’ve gone full summer mode and have been swimming, sitting in the shade, and eating delicious food with people I love at a dizzying rate. It’s really been at the expense of some work that I was hoping to have done by now. But when the warm air is blowing over your bare arms and the sunlight is filtering gently through the leaves overhead, it’s terribly hard to go back inside and do computery things. On top of that, I’m feeling quite nostalgic this year. My kids are at that fun age where they can do more things, and you don’t have to watch them every second lest they perish. And the air is so clear and warm. 

 I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I’ve developed a bit of anxiety about summer- particularly about the fact that it may need to be renamed entirely as “fire season.” 

 Perhaps you’ve heard of the seasons of Oregon:

Winter
Fool’s Spring
Second Winter
Spring of Deception
Third Winter
Mud Season
Actual Spring
Summer
False Fall
Second Summer (1 week)
Actual Fall

 Let me tell you, with all the seasons on that list that make it hard to get outside, it would be a real shame to take out Summer and replace it with Fire Season.  

 Sometimes in the midst of the enjoyment, I feel a tinge of anxiety about the inevitable time when smoke will cloud the sky again. This simple sweetness of summer could disappear in a moment. So how do I fully appreciate the beauty of this gift of God? How do I keep the bitterness of fear out of this moment of happiness? 

 I think it has to do with abiding- living life fully aware that God is with us and we are with God. When we feel that we can trust God to abide with us through the hard times that will surely come, it brings freedom to savor the good times as well. Paul said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13). 

I don’t have to deny the likelihood that there will be wildfires before fall. But they are not burning now. Here and now, the sky is clear. The water is refreshing. The popsicles are cold and drippy. Just as it would be fitting to feel grief and lament in the face of loss, it is also fitting to feel joy in the face of abundance. So yes, I will feel disappointed when the smoke comes. But God will be there. 

 Today, I feel happy, and God is here.

 (Sidenote: While I am exploring my feelings around this lighthearted if sincere subject, know that I am aware that others may be going through things much more burdensome and perilous. I fully believe that God is faithful to abide with us through all things, large or small, but I want to acknowledge the difficulty of trusting God through such times, and do not intend to diminish this.)

Romans 12:15
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”

Matthew 6:31-34
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”

James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Psalm 145:17-19
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways
And loving toward all he has made.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
To all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
He hears their cry and saves them.”

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About the Author

Kayla is is 37. She has been married to her husband, Joel, for 17 years and she homeschools their two energetic boys. She loves stories, being out in nature, meeting interesting people, and seeing others grow in their freedom in Christ.

Cycles | Fire Season

The Earth orbits the Sun and the seasons change. The cycles of the world come and go, as do cycles of loss, grief and recovery.

The summer season is again upon us and with its hot, dry weather and the possibility of wildfires. Last year’s fire season was one of the worst in a long time in the McKenzie Valley, destroying many homes and businesses. I remember those days very clearly, even though our home wasn’t in danger, some of my coworkers did have homes in areas of evacuation that crept closer and closer as the days went on. Finally, two of my coworkers had to stop work and get ready to move as their area was elevated to “Be Ready” status, meaning they could be told to leave their homes and belongings at any moment. We wished them well and prayed that they would be okay.

I later learned that one of the casualties of the fire was a resort in Blue River where I had spent many writing retreats over the years. In fact, most of the town of Blue River had burned, leaving burnt out cars and charred chimneys standing alone.

In the midst of this year of destruction, I received a phone call. My son had died. Alex was not my biological son, but I dated his mother for several years and he had started calling me dad and so I called him son and, so in my heart he was my son. And now he is gone. We had not spoken to each other for a long time as we had drifted apart, but now there was no hope of reconciliation on this side of Heaven. I pray that I will meet him there someday and we will have our chance to make broken things right.

As the fires burned through our forests, they also burned through my life, my heart and my mind. I, too, am left with charred remains inside my soul, some with lonely, solitary chimneys left standing to remind me of the structures that once stood there.

When the Holiday Farm Fire was finally contained and the area deemed safe, my wife and I went up the McKenzie both to escape our confines during lockdown and to see the remains of the resort. Some of the buildings were gone, but others still stood in the capricious way that good things can also happen in this world. People were working to tear down the wreckage and build anew. Many trees still stood and were still green, and the river still flowed nearby. These were signs that all was not lost and of hope for the future.

Now that the fires of that season have ended, I, too, feel hope and love building in my heart. I feel the support of my wife and family and friends and the love of the Lord to repair that which was lost to me and I hope resides in a better world to come. Wildfires can be healing as well as destructive as they clear out the dead undergrowth and give the trees room to grow and be healthier.

I pray that the fires that have burned through my soul will also be able to help me heal and grow in spite of the pain and destruction that it feels like this past year has wrought. I pray that you also can feel the healing and growth for yourselves in the coming new season.

Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

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About the Author

Mark lives in Oregon with his lovely wife, Darla and enjoys reading, writing, playing games and working to make the world a better place. He currently serves CitySalt church as a sound engineer and on the church council.