The Duldrums of Summer

Well, after an unusually harsh winter, long and arduous, summer came -- glorious summer.
Warm sunshine.
Lemonade.
Watermelon.
Running through sprinklers.
Grilling out.
Long walks in the woods.
Reading a book in the warm sunshine.
Lying in the shade on a hammock.
Baseball with the kids in the yard.
Riding bikes.
Ice cream (homemade or otherwise).
Fresh tomatoes.
And I could go on and on - I haven't even gotten to summer nights yet. The very thought of summer warms the soul.

And yet, we're here. Summer's here, and the thought of it might be better than the actual thing. Here's the deal:
*It's hot. I'm sweaty and tired and don't feel like doing any of those things I wrote up there.
*The neighborhood kids keep coming over and stealing tomatoes, dumping out my watering can water and fighting with my kids. This makes me cranky.
*I want to get away with my family for a little vacation or just for a road trip around here, but our finances don't allow us to do most of those things. This also frustrates me.
*Right now, I'm tired and discontented and grumpy.
Here's the other deal. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Even though it's hot and we don't have much money, there is still plenty we can do. In fact, just this week we went swimming, made homemade ice cream and visited a farm. Also, my children have a lot of fun with those "bad little neighbor kids".

So why am I unhappy? Well, I believe that the world, the flesh and the devil are working against me tonight to make me unhappy. Satan doesn't want me to be contented, he wants me to grumble. Grumbling, discontented people are only thinking about themselves. They don't care about anybody else. They don't care about the people that God has put into their lives for them to minister to (like those neglected kids). They don't care about bringing glory to God. They simply want to be miserable and have others fawn over them, either feeling sorry for them, or perhaps trying to do what is possible to relieve the cause of the grumble.

My flesh is lazy and my sinful nature is selfish. The world tells us that we won't be happy until we have the wealth or whatever the Jones' have. And the enemy uses all of those things and whispers to us all the reasons to give in to the world and the flesh.

So, how do I overcome this funk? How do I not only enjoy the summer, but also develop a habit of contentedness? Well, I think, the secret is to have a thankful heart. I need to focus on what God has blessed me with. I need to seek His glory in all things, whether by enjoying the beautiful creation that He has blessed us with (summertime) or by being His hands and feet to the people around me (those bad little neighbor kids).

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him - John Piper (I think). May I meet the duldrums of summer with these tools of being content and thankful and seeking His glory.