Expecting An August Visitor?
Hello there! In normal times, this would be enjoyment season; that time of the year when people go on vacation and schools are on summer break. By now, the first wave of vacationers would be on their way back to Nigeria while the second wave (the August wave), would be getting ready to go. Ahh! Those were the days! Don’t you agree?
Now, people are passing the time recalling sweet vacations past. That time in Seychelles or is it South of France? Or SunCity in South Africa or the Safari in Kenya? Did you ever get to explore the Bahamas with their white sand beaches? Or spend time in the exotic islands of Thailand? Hmm. Days of sun and food delights, shopping till you break or easy days just eating and sleeping?
I have some suggestions for you. Enjoy your memories but also make new ones with friends and family. Join a book club and read your way through the summer. There are some interesting books out there that would entertain you just as richly. Make the most of the extended family time. Play games, talk, rediscover each other, renew your bonds of love, laugh together!
August is round the corner now. What does it have in store? Build up your expectations. You never know. Maybe there’s a breakthrough just up the hill? Can we dream of a higher degree of normalcy in August? Can August prove to be the hinge month, when we swing from uncertainty into certainty? Will schools resume for the new school year in September? Can we settle down at last? Sometimes I feel like someone living in a land plagued by drought when it has been prophesied that rain will come. Every morning, I am expecting to hear the sound of thunder, the blowing of the wind and the gathering of the clouds. Every evening, I go to bed, a little disappointed, but knowing that tomorrow is another day!
We must keep hope alive! This is a testing of our faith, our patience and our fortitude. We will not fail in the day of adversity. I feel we are like newly recruited soldiers in a boot camp, wearing the uniform, but lacking the experience and the strength of seasoned soldiers. Not to worry. That is why we are here, to watch and learn. And even though it is a painful process, we are improving every day and before we know it, our graduation day will come. And we will pass out in flying colours!
So, are you expecting an august visitor? What are your plans for the last quarter of the year? Because August will fly by fast and September too. Don’t let autumn sneak up on you. Winter is around the corner. Any plans for Christmas? It may seem like a world away but it is not. That was how we looked at July and now it is ending. Dust up your plans. Get to living again. Even if the pandemic manages to slip into January, we will overcome. We will still be here to give thanks to God for life, for provision and preservation. It is not over yet!
There are many issues to ponder. Issues that trouble the mind. Issues that affect us and we don’t have any answers for: Will Covid-19 last the whole year? Will it extend to 2021? Will our economy recover and bounce back? Will our politics improve? Or will our leaders remain clueless? Will there be peace and security or will everything fall apart? What about Church? Will we get to attend services physically again? Will my finances bounce back? What does the future hold for me?
So many questions! Only God has the answers. So instead of worrying and wondering, let’s ask Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT