Well, you may be saying it or certainly hearing it about now – we are in the “dog days of summer.” But what is meant by that phrase? Some think that the name comes from the fact that our poor pooches get pretty lethargic during the hottest days of summer and tend to lay around more. I’m with the dogs on this one, planning some down time with the A/C and a cool drink sounds pretty good. But in reality the term refers to the fact that the sun is hanging out in the same area of the sky as Sirius, the Dog Star, a part of the Canis Major Constellation. It was even thought at one time that the closeness of Sirius to the sun increased the heat from the sun.
Now we know that Sirius doesn’t add or take away from the sun’s heat but that during the dog days of summer our angle with the sun allows for a lot more radiant heating. And yes, more heat which leads to wanting to just lie around like a dog. It’s not always a bad idea to slow down and relax, and during these days we can blame it on the Dog Star. But one area we need to not slack off in is in doing good. Paul urges us in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” There are always opportunities around us to share God’s love. One that Jesus mentioned was to give a cup of cool water in his name. That one sounds tailored made for these hot summer days. It really doesn’t take much effort to do good, we just need to see the open doors and be willing to walk through them.
Take time this week to pray that God will show you an open door of opportunity to do some good, even in these dog days. You may be surprised by the cooling breeze of blessings that God will send your way for stepping out in faith with him.
Don
Now we know that Sirius doesn’t add or take away from the sun’s heat but that during the dog days of summer our angle with the sun allows for a lot more radiant heating. And yes, more heat which leads to wanting to just lie around like a dog. It’s not always a bad idea to slow down and relax, and during these days we can blame it on the Dog Star. But one area we need to not slack off in is in doing good. Paul urges us in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” There are always opportunities around us to share God’s love. One that Jesus mentioned was to give a cup of cool water in his name. That one sounds tailored made for these hot summer days. It really doesn’t take much effort to do good, we just need to see the open doors and be willing to walk through them.
Take time this week to pray that God will show you an open door of opportunity to do some good, even in these dog days. You may be surprised by the cooling breeze of blessings that God will send your way for stepping out in faith with him.
Don
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