"SUMMER TIME" - Seasonal Relationships, Cont'd.

Now that God has navigated you successfully through the newness and excitement of your Spring Relationship season, you realize that almost without notice, the season has changed and now it's Summertime. Even the very mention of the word puts you in a particular frame of mind. By now, the seeds of inquiry, friendship, discovery, and character should have begun to take root. It is now, in the wonderful warmth of the Summer Son, that your relationship must withstand the test of the heat: heat of mood swings, heat of personality conflicts, heat of integrity, heat of truthfulness, heat of disclosure, and the heat of temptation. For some, it is the heat of the Summer that seems to relax us, slow us down, and make us become even a bit lazy; the sun is high, and our guard is down! For others, the heat of Summer seems to activate a new-found spirit of boldness and adventure. Funny thing is, no matter how the Summer affects us personally, when we find yourself in new friendships, we seem to lose sight of how this dramatic shift in climate is affecting the other person! If God has truly placed authentic and healthy relationships in your lives, they will not lose their savor and saltiness when Summertime comes. We are all creatures of our environment, and must know beyond a shadow of a doubt in what atmosphere to we thrive the most, and in what atmosphere do those whom we love and are in relationship with the most challenges. With so many options at our disposal, if we are not careful, the blessing of that God-ordained "summer shift" may be under-appreciated and under-developed. Ask God to train you to discern every season --both spiritually and naturally.
Amen. --Rev. Stephanie