Somehow summer is already half over. This happens to me every year, and every year I promise myself I will get more organized, be more intentional about the weeks as they go racing by, and every year July comes and I am amazed—and a bit panicked—that we have only a handful of weeks left.  

The next few weeks of our summer will be a whirlwind, but it has added to an already heavy burden of work, domestic duties, and the unshakeable feeling that I am failing at everything. Throughout the week I have been crying out to the Lord for peace, for assurance, and for the tangible reminder of his presence in my life. 

Again and again, I heard the familiar Scripture from 1 Samuel in my mind: Fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. This created an impulse to put away my to-do lists for a bit and create a new kind of list. As a way of refocusing my spirit and fostering gratitude, I set out to write down all the things God has done for me. Turns out there isn’t really enough paper to keep a record of it all. 

Are you weary, dear mother? Do you feel like no matter what you do or what you give, there is always more demanded—more needed? Prayer time can be extremely hard to come by in these summer days, and quiet is merely a fantasy. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind all that the Lord has done, and as he does, allow the memory to be a salve to your soul. Here are just a few of the things that came to my mind as I asked the Lord to remind me of his faithfulness in my life: 

• Brought me through the wounds of a fatherless childhood into a beautiful, hope-filled marriage with a man who cherishes and values me beyond my wildest dreams.
• Brought my family through years of financial hardship and struggle, always providing every need and a little more.
• Brought me through ten pregnancies in twelve years, creating a heart more and more in love with the gift of life.
• Brought me through unimaginable grief and loss into a deeper understanding of the profound and irreplaceable need for eternal perspective and the real hope of Heaven. 
• Continues to reveal the goodness of his grace for me and my family that transforms all of my meager efforts into something of eternal magnitude.  

And then there is all he did to save the world from sin, and his call to us unto himself, and his invitation to us to participate in the building of the Kingdom of Heaven! He is a good, good God, and he has never forsaken us. May your final weeks of summer be permeated by his goodness and the recollection of all that he has done!