Welcome to the "Joy to the Soul Summer" series! For the next four weeks, I'll share reflections on the season and scriptural inspirations to encourage your faith. Meet me here for a new post each Wednesday. Share this series with a friend and encourage their faith too!

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near” (Luke 21:29-30 NLT).

I love when God gives us a sign. Sometimes He gives us a warning so we can avoid danger. Other times, He points to our next steps toward a goal. And yet, His signs always point us to Him. In Luke 21, buds and sprouts are the signals telling us “that summer is near.”

And yet, as I type these words, summer arrived a week ago. But as I reflect on Christ’s words in Luke 21, I see lessons from the leaves.

The sun nourishes the tree’s branches and invites the buds to bloom.

In Luke 21:5-25, Jesus described the end times. But in our featured verses, we can see how to experience Him in our current times. The fig tree is one of the last trees to bud in the spring. But its leaves were first mentioned when Adam and Eve realized they were naked. They used the leaves to cover themselves. (Genesis 3:6-8)

But the fig leaves in today’s verses are not to keep us hidden. Instead, they give us truths to hold onto in every season. Because the most fruitful trees are the ones that get the most sun– at least 8 hours a day.

Over the last year or so, our time in the sunlight may have decreased or increased. For example, I took more walks, but ran fewer errands.

But there is a vast difference between this summer and last summer. The world is starting to bud and breakthrough restrictions.

In our attempts to reach post pandemic status, we can see what we’ve learned or how we’ve grieved. The extent of our loss, gains, and reengagement impacts our well-being.

In our scriptural focus, the winter’s cold kept the fig tree’s buds closed. Likewise, we may hesitate to come out of the solitude or slower pace of the last year. But others may be fully charged and ready for a new summer adventure.

And yet, new seasons are not just about what we feel. It’s also about how we respond to the Son, meaning Jesus. The fig leaf illustration shows us what can happen when the previous season becomes a memory and the current season becomes motivation to grasp a greater purpose. As we trust God for the next thing He has for us, His grace keeps us mindful somethings take time.

And yet, new buds and sprouts are new reasons to believe something beneficial will appear.

Hence, joy to the soul this summer is reflective. The warmth of God’s word is needed in a cold world. In the midst of our personal challenges or volatile public discourse, our faith in Christ gives fire to our focus. It is also a beacon to light the way. (see John 8:12)

As we appreciate summer’s significance, may we see our existence bud and bloom in ways we never thought possible — or we haven’t thought about in a while. May the signs of God’s care continue to give us hope for the heart and joy to the soul.

To read more posts in the Joy to the Soul Summer series, click here!