For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

From July 3rd through August 11th, we are in “the dog days of summer.”

These are the hot days of summer in the northern hemisphere, the days when people sit inside next to the air conditioner and put off running errands for everything but the essentials. We’ve probably referred to these days by this old name at one time or another, without ever asking why they got that name. Is it too hot for dogs? Is it their favorite time of the year? What gives?

You can read all about it in this article from National Geographic. I’ll summarize here: Basically, around this time of year, the ancient Greeks saw the star Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, rising along with the sun. They assumed (because human beings are nothing if not great assumption machines) that the combined heat of these two stars made this time of year the hottest in our hemisphere.

Of course now we know that the Earth’s elliptical orbit brings us closer our sun this time of year. And you might simply infer that from how hot it is! For some, this is The Best Weather of the Year. For me, it’s not so great.

The Drought

Every year at about this time, we tend to look around our New England churches and ask, “Where is everybody?” as if we’d never lived through the drought of a Protestant New England Summer before.

Rest assured, some will return. In fact, during the hottest parts of the summer, the aforementioned Dog Days, people like to take a break from the heat of the sanctuary and from routines in general. I used to fight this tooth and nail. I’d schedule program after program to try to woo people back to the sanctuary.

Finally a kind parishioner took me aside and asked: “What’s with all the summer sweat? Slow down a little. Plan for the September to May program year, and stop struggling through your summer.” It was sage advice.

But it’s not just the dog days…

Driving through Southborough recently I was treated to a sign that announced that it’s the Dahlia Days of Summer at a local flower shop. After a little research I learned that these beautiful flowers, depending on when they were planted, could be coming to full flower and ready for harvest right now. I sometimes forget that the times that feel most challenging to me might be the most beneficial to other growing things.

When the weather feels good to me, plants like Dahlias look like potatoes, in full retreat and waiting for the sun to help them grow. Creation is a wonder, and I thank God again for the way that we each have our season to flourish, and our times to pull back. Our season of growth, and our times of contraction.

Consider the Dahlia

The next time you’re struggling in the heat, consider the Dahlia–maybe even go out and buy a few, or try cultivating them yourself next summer. Enjoy one of the fruits of creation that flourishes in the sun and the heat. God is good, all the time…including those times of years that might not be our favorites.

And feel free to refer back to this sunny post when you come in from shoveling the driveway this winter…