Behold Summer
The season of play, of days that feel endless, of sunshine and curiosity are upon us. Summer is a bustling and transformative season. We've watched the trees bud and flower and now the leaves are offering us shaded relief from the sun, the gardens are in the ground and we are tending them to prepare for a harvest, we've watched butterflies emerge and dandelions seed. Transformation is all around us and it feels expansive, inviting us in.
Summer feels filled of child-like wonder. It's a beautiful combination of bustle of wanting to do as much as possible while the weather is nice and taking slow moments with your eyes closed letting the sun wash over you. It's a 'hurry up and get everything done inside so you can go play outside' season. It's easier to loose ourselves in the way the wind moves the clouds and the leaves and carries the song of the birds. It's the season many look forward to the most and when it arrives we want to soak every possible bit of goodness from it.
When I think of the fruit of the Spirit, my mind pictures a bustling orchard on summer days watching fruit grow bigger and bigger until it's ready to pick. Aside from tall trees of oranges or apples or peaches I picture bushes of raspberries and patches of ruby red strawberries. Each fruit ready to pick at it's own time offering us beautiful freshness throughout the season in satisfying ways. Oh the lessons we can learn from the fruit that grows around us in nature and the way the fruit of the Spirit grows in our own lives.
Summer is full of lessons we can learn that can enrich our faith life. To be able to look outside, walking the sun, feel the breeze, feel the relief of the shade, watch the storms roll in, through and past us and see the connection points to our life of faith is a beautiful gift. It makes the presence of God feel all the more tangible. It makes our experience of our faith feel like every moment is sacred-- not just the routine times we set aside to read our bible. Summer is a reminder that transformation is happening around us...
"Yet, in a sense, it is a new commandment, as its truth is made manifest both in Christ and in you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already blazing" - 1 John 2:8
Just before this the author was saying that this isn't a new commandment, but an old one, but yet, in a sense, it is new. I imagine it like a caterpillar to a butterfly-- the butterfly is a new creation but it came from the caterpillar. The old command to love one another was given a new standard. The new command to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and love each other as much as Jesus has loved us was the new standard. It's transformative to love others the way Jesus expressed his love while he lived and that is how we are to love others. When a caterpillar is born, it will transform to a butterfly and embrace this new way of living. Perhaps next time you see a butterfly you will think about the transformative love of Jesus and the command to love others with that kind of love.
The spring session of soul care yoga led combined the lessons of nature with the lessons of faith and we are doing it again for the summer session kicking off in June for 4 consecutive weeks of soul-nourishing movement, reflection, breath-work, meditation and intentional connection with God and self. The summer session will do the same but this time we will be reflecting on summer. Lessons of transformation, of storms, of heat, of connection, the lessons that surround us at every moment if we slow down enough to see them. We will look at scripture to encourage us through the season and we will enjoy these 4 weeks as we look at ‘God’s two books– Scripture and nature’.
During our summer session, we will also incorporate some intentional reflection on the lessons we are acknowledging and leaning into. As a spiritual director in training, I am continually amazed at the power of intentional reflection and intentional connect with God in those moments of reflection. I am so looking forward to sharing this with you so please bring a journal with you to our time together.
Click HERE to learn more and to sign up to receive the weekly class reminder emails each Wednesday morning and the weekly follow-up email with access to the class replay and a summer-inspired nourishing practice. The page itself includes the link to the Zoom class so share with those you think might enjoy this session.
I look forward to connecting with you throughout June and enjoying the wonder of summer together.