I hate summer. I mean, I seriously HATE summer. It's just the worst.

My thighs look huge in shorts, tank tops do NOT flatter my arms and the chub rub is REAL.

I hate the heat. I hate wearing summer clothes. I hate even walking outside. I don't even really care for swimming.

Winter, on the other hand, brings nothing but joy to my soul.

Warm boots, cozy sweaters, hot chocolate, Christmas. I mean, what could be better than that?

Sadly, there will always be a summer. I will always have to say goodbye to my beloved season of joy once a year, and begin preparation for a time of constant misery and bitterness.

God promises us this in Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

And while, in this context, His words are meant literally, I think it is safe to say that this can be applied to the seasons that take place in our every day life.

Just as there will always be summer, there will never stop being seasons in our personal lives that we do not like.

Because God is a loving father, he will ALWAYS allow us to endure seasons of struggle, pain, sorrow, or bitterness for the purpose of helping us grow.

I, for one, will never look forward to the negative aspects of those 'summers'. And as much as I'd like to think that a permanent winter sounds magical, there is something about enduring summer that makes me understand the blessing of cooler weather.

God understands (much more than we do) that those seasons we hate are pruning us to appreciate, understand, and more thoroughly, enjoy the good seasons when they come.

So next time you're going through an agonizing summer, whatever it may be, remember that God does not allow you to encounter any circumstance that will not give you the opportunity to become more like His son.