Summary: Summer in the Pacific Northwest is truly fantastic. Finally, the clouds part and the sun shines brightly. The temperature is warm, but not too warm. The nights are cool and clear. Oregon summers make the gloomy winters worth it. I know. I live in Oregon. It’s amazing how a few months of sunshine can make me completely forget how dark, cloudy, and damp the rest of the year is in Oregon. However, in the summer all that is forgotten. We busy ourselves with outdoor activities and vacations. School is out for the summer, we take some time off from our jobs, and we rush from family vacations to fixing the house. We can get busy with church events, too – vacation Bible school, church camp, small group barbeques. Just as we forget the grey that comes before the sunshine, we can forget that it is Christ who brings us these good times. The Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from above, that is, from God. So, when the sun shines bright, we should be overcome with praise for the God who knows us, loves us, and gives us so many good gifts. The rain will fall again, but in the sunshine, we must give thanks to God for the joy and goodness he provides, and for His eternal salvation. Share your gratefulness with everyone in your world. Then they will understand the divine sunshine, and turn from the gloom of this fallen, sinful world into the light of Christ. This is Luis Palau.
