A Taste of What's to Come

Spring is in the air!! Or is it summer?? Barefeet, the smell of suncreen, children's laughter floating through the open window.... is it still April?

My family seems to have accepted that summer is in full swing already, and I hope they are not too disappointed when the weather cools down to the normal spring temperatures in a day or so.

The sun turns our lovely house into an oven. No matter how many windows we open and fans we have blowing the inside temperature gets to 80 before lunch. Closing things up to keep the sun out has not been effective either. Suffice it to say....the air conditioners are in already, mainly so the kids can sleep at night.

My children love being barefoot inside, running around unencumbered outside in the sun, and getting to spend more time on the playground. My barely 1 year old thinks his shorts are the best thing ever. He rediscovered his legs the first time I put him in shorts and spent over a half an hour patting his knees and and shins. He also loves seeing his toes wiggle in his sandals as he walks around in the grass for the first time.

My daughter oooohs and ahhhs over every sundress, shorts set and pair of sandals I pull out from her bin of summer clothes. At 2, she does not remember that she wore many of them last year and is thrilled with so many 'new' things. She almost could not contain herself when I got out the sunscreen. She begged me rub in on her and then asked for her bathing suit. I explained that it was not quite time set up the pool or head to the beach yet. "It very hot!" she told me, shaking her head, "It summer, time to swim...hooray!"

I told her this was just a little taste of summer, to get us ready for the warm weather, but that we would still have days that she needed to wear pants and that it was not time to get the pool out. She did not seem to really grasp this concept but ran off happy that at least for now, as far as she was concerned, it was summer. After all, she does not fully understand having a little 'taste' of food either. Why have one bite, when you could just eat it all?

Sometimes I feel like that too. Just a small bite of sweet deliciousness and I am hooked.... I want more.

God gives us small tastes and glimpses of His Glory, His Love, His Compassion, His Grace and His Power every day. All around me I see Him in the beauty of the sunny day, in my interactions with others, in the amazing and timely provisions He provides again and again and in the love and laughter I share with my children and my husband. I have to remind myself that these are only a small taste of what is to come. A small reminder and preparation for the day when we will actually dwell in His presence. For now I try to make the most of every taste, no matter how small or big it may seem, and be thankful for all of these moments.

But some days, like my daughter, I am just wishing for the pool to be out already so I can dive in head first!