The plumbing work which left the water pipes exposed had been done in the spring.  There would be plenty of time to cover them before cold weather.  But the summer was too hot.  And the fall was too busy.  So there I was crawling around under the house, banging my head and skinning my knuckles, as I tried to beat an arctic blast.

    As I worked, words from long ago kept sounding in my head:


    There was an obvious and immediate application to my reason for being under the house, but I began to think of the broader application.  Many of us are “children of the summer” in many areas of our lives.  We live as if the winter never comes, so we make little or no preparation.

    If the lack of preparation is in the material world, we might have broken pipes.  But if the lack is in the spiritual world, the consequences can be much graver.

    To fail to make preparation for eternity is the first thing that comes to mind.  How many are “children of the summer” in this area.  They don’t seem to believe there is a hell to avoid and a heaven to win.  Many have difficulty believing death will be their lot.  But death does come, and our destinies are sealed according to the preparation we have made.

    To fail to make preparation for the tough times is another common problem.  Many have lived charmed lives, with money and jobs and family and health.  Having known nothing but good things, it is easy for them to be “children of the summer,” living as if the winter of hardship never comes.  But of course it does.  And where there is no preparation, the experience can be more than we can bear.  Getting to know the Lord on an intimate basis, learning to pray, spending time in the Word, all prepare us for the day when life falls apart.  It is too late to build a bridge when we need to cross it.

    Maintaining a healthy spiritual life is very hard to do.  But it is not nearly so hard as trying to cope by ourselves because the bridges are down.  God has provided the church for fellowship and encouragement, the Bible for inspiration and guidance, and prayer for strength and deliverance.

    “Children of the summer” ignore these things.  The wise use them to prepare in the summer, because they know the winter always comes.