What is an inevitability when “shorts” season finally arrives?

Skinned knees.

For my daughter this year, both fell on the first day.

The freedom of summer is not without its risk…bee stings, eyes nipped by chlorinated water, sunburns, poison ivy, and, yes, skinned knees.

But those temporary scrapes are worth running through the sprinkler in the hot sun, slurping popsicles and staying up late roasting marshmallows around the fire!

In the Christian life, we need to remember that freedom does not always mean free from pain. Even when smack dab in the center of God’s will, we will face pressures, frustrations, difficult decisions and betrayal.

Does that mean we need to stay inside all summer? Should we live with timid faith, avoiding danger and potential sacrifice at all costs? Do we question our quest when surrounded?

But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 56: 3-4

Staying off the radar is not an option as a follower of Jesus. God desires for us to live life to the fullest, abundantly, even if that means personal loss.

I remember times when we were small that one of my siblings or I would fall and my dad would come running toward us making a loud ambulance sound, scooping us up and bringing us inside to assess the damage. He or mom would clean out our wounds with peroxide, carefully bandage us up, and send us back outside again.

When Lauren fell in our gravel driveway last night, she received her first of many skinned knees of the year. But, after some kisses and cuddles, she was back up to play.

Sure, life is not always as simple as bouncing back from a minor scrape. Sometimes hurt slices our hearts deeply. Jesus knows and understands, and He came to give us freedom, forgiveness and peace.

The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to (Jesus). He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.  Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Luke 4: 17-21

God intends for us to run in His good pleasure with our eyes fixed on Him, not on the ground.

Summer is worth the skinned knees.