Three Keys to a Successful Summer

Perfect. That is how I would describe the ending to a wonderful weekend. The wind was starting to whip up with a slight mist falling from the sky. The dark porch where I sat provided such a stillness, such a peaceful respite, I felt for a moment like I was in another place.

As I sat for those brief minutes alone, my family continuing to be active in the house, I thanked the Lord for so much. For my oldest daughter’s vocal performances this weekend; she is so brave to sing in front of so many all alone! For my youngest daughter’s triple hits that drove in so many runs; now that is what I call fun! But then the true blessings came to mind…His presence, His peace and His perspective. Just as I was experiencing shelter while a storm was stirring right in front of my eyes, He is that constant source of peace and comfort; hope and purpose day in and day out.

I decided that with such a busy weekend, I continue being quiet and finish this day with reading. Picking up where I had left off, I came to 1 Peter 3:10 – 12. There stood out the three keys for the successful summer I am praying for:

For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

So plain; so clear. Do you long to love your life? Does your heart desire good days? Peter lays the pathway out with three uncomplicated (though not necessarily simple) verbs.

Keep. Turn. Seek.

We’ll look at the first day and follow with the others on Wednesday and Friday.

Keep.

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

What did James once say about the tongue? Wasn’t it something like the tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. That pretty much describes why I struggle with this one! (Sure wish I would have remembered that one when Greg and I were trying to fix the oven door together recently!)

Keep. Keep isn’t an action word; it involves refraining. It involves restraining. Keep my tongue. The key for me in keeping: be conscious of what I am thinking, because what I am thinking quickly becomes what I am saying. Not just with my words, but what I am saying with my tone and with my body language as well.

Just think what would happen in all of our homes this summer if we all just practiced this one key given to us by Peter! If each one of us chose to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from deceitful speech, it would be one huge step towards relationships that work!

I’m writing this one out to memorize in the next couple of weeks. Care to join me?

Lynn