This morning I enjoyed one of the simple pleasures of summer. I added apricots from the tree in our backyard to my oatmeal breakfast. Yum, tastes like freshly baked fruit pie. There have been other pleasures too. It’s been a blessing to play disc golf with my son, Weston, watch my daughter, Grace, raise and train her pig, counsel my daughter, Hannah, as she nannies three challenging young sisters, and pray with my wife, Rhonda. What have you been able to enjoy this summer? Simple things represent some of the best of life like taking a leisurely stroll at sunset, really listening so you truly know you heard someone, smiling, laughing, learning something new, experiencing victory after struggle, recognizing the achievement of others, or giving encouragement to name just a few.
Life’s simple gifts are wrapped in love. We all want to be loved and we all need to love others. God built this into us. He loves us deeply and invites us to love him and others the same way through the grace and power of Jesus. Fred Rogers understood this truth. Last night we watched “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” a touching documentary about Mister Rogers. He was an exceptional, kind, and dedicated man who loved God and others. He strived to use the power of television over 33 years to care for and train children to treat themselves and others with honor, dignity, and empathy.
Just about all of us have had someone speak truth and love into our lives as Mister Rogers did. Who has that been for you? We should take time to appreciate those people and then follow God’s lead to be that kind of person to someone else. We must guard against becoming so worried, weary, busy, or self-centered that we fail to love God and love our neighbor. As I have mentioned before, life is made of relationships–first with God, then with each other. The beauty of it is that as we rely on Jesus to help us care for and serve each other in simple ways we experience the joy, peace, and hope of God alive in us. In one simple way after another I hope this is how summer is for you.