The Heat Goes On--Carolyn R. Wilker

No, not the beat. It’s the heat. Not so long ago we waited for the heat to come. Now we’ve got it in spades. The ground is dry again, the grass is dead, but thank goodness for the rain we had that filled our water barrels and soaked the ground. Our garden plants stood up taller and had a great growth spurt afterwards. It’s as though they were saying "thank you." Even the drought tolerant flowers were showing signs of stress stood up taller.

garden after the good rainfall

  

We could use another good rain shower for the crops and gardens. Then people wanting to picnic and have outdoor events might holler, "No, we want sunshine!" or "Couldn't it come at night instead?" There’s no pleasing us humans. Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it … in between, like me.

 

 granddaughter watering the garden, 2017

 

a good cold drink in the heat

We can be picky, or maybe it’s particular. Many times we just complain, but it seems God is used to that. He’s heard it before—centuries of it. One most notable being the philosopher in Ecclesiastes who felt nothing was right. People worked hard and got nothing for it. He wrote, “the streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full" (v7a), "all things are wearisome, more than one can say" (v 8a). He declares that everything is meaningless (v. 2)  with no new things under the sun. People reading the philosopher now might think he’s a pessimist. Maybe when he wrote it, he was having a bad day, just like us.

Does he change his mournful tune though? By Chapter 3, it seems he is resigned to life as it is, for he declares happy with the sad, though the sad in most lines comes first, "a time to weep and a time to laugh" (v 4),"a time to tear down and a time to mend" (7a). Then wonder of wonders, despite all the trials, he declares that God has set eternity in the human heart. There’s a sign of hope there.

We, too, have hope because God doesn’t give up on us, even when we’re not sure where we stand. As with the philosopher, we have times where things are not so glum, and we accept 'what is' about life and go on. Then there’s the garden, that when we tend it and take care of it, offers up food for our use and sustenance. That, too, is a gift.

 Carolyn Wilker is an author, editor and storyteller from southwestern Ontario. She gardens and loves to spend time with her family.

https://www.carolynwilker.ca/