Rain, rain, go away! This has been one of the wettest summers I ever recall. Our lawn, which looked thick and green in June, now looks more like a fantasyland for gnomes. However, we are coming dangerously close to August, and August is --at least in our little corner of the world --becoming more and more unpredictable. Evenings go from moist and muggy, fraught with bloodthirsty mosquitoes, to cool and comfortable, perfect lightning bug catching weather and just enough to lure one into thoughts of sweaters and firepits. The rain all but disappears from the radar and new sources of sultriness --daytime humidity and evening dew --saturate the landscape. No doubt, local meteorologists will still predict things like "pop-up showers", the "occasional thunderstorm", and the "possibility of a heatwave" to cover the chance of everything but snow that might befall us. Welcome to modern-day forecasting. I can't help but long for the days when a local "weatherman" --that's the simple label they were given in those days --would grab his pointer and a few paper icons, head out before the cameras, and offer up an almost flawless 5-day forecast. A smiling sun on Monday, a sad little cloud parked somewhat askew on Tuesday, and lightning bolts stuck to the calendar for the remainder of the workweek were trustworthy predictors of what was to come.
In this world, trustworthy predictors are hard to find. Sure, there are plenty of folks looking to profit off of telling us the things we want to hear --fortune tellers, really. If you serve God, your children will be accepted at the best colleges. If you give your tithe faithfully, fortune is waiting right around the corner. When I say "trustworthy predictors", I mean truth tellers; I mean those who will caution us as to what will happen if we don't do the things God requires or serve God as we should serve; those who are willing to risk being disliked or unpopular in order to share the truth in love; those who tell us Thus saith the Lord, regardless of outcome. Jesus clearly didn't seek prominence or favor when He spoke to people from all walks of life. The masses, however willing they were to receive His words, could certainly trust all He said was true. He spoke plainly; in a way all who wanted to understand could. Likewise, we can understand and trust His words today.
And seeking out the truth is not the final measure. When we find truth, we must embrace it, follow it (follow Him), and assimilate it into the very fiber of our being. Truth must be as important to our character as oxygen is to our lungs. When that weatherman stuck that lacy paper snowflake up on his board, every child in viewing distance went to bed dreaming of school closings. We thanked God we had an extra day to finish the book report we'd been putting off and waxed the runners on our sleds. The truth became our North star, guiding our snow-covered path for at least the next twenty-four hours. As adults, can we say the same about all God says? Are we really seeking to know His words? Are we reading the Scriptures daily? How many of us are applying what we've read, whether we feel happy or successful doing it or not? How many of us are listening to pastors and teachers who are humble servants delivering the hard messages to the people of God? Are we repenting from the lives we've lived? Do we want nothing more than to obey God? Are we serious about obedience, or are we waiting for just the right time or the ideal circumstances to serve the Lord? How many of us are doing the hard things, breaking relationships and habits, developing relationships and habits, counting the cost and laying down everything for the sake of God's Kingdom? Or has truth become something only to possess for the moment or spout off to condemn others?
Trustworthy predictors, truth tellers, and truth will always be difficult to find in the world; but Jesus, the Light of the world has never wavered or gone underground. He doesn't use disclaimers, just in case things don't work out as He promised. He doesn't need expensive, cutting-edge technology or even paper clouds --He made the real ones Himself. His word is to be trusted and followed.
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