seank.mitchell@yahoo.com

June is the beginning of the summer solstice, the point in American time when vacationing is the universally adopted pastime. Baseball becomes the king of sports, suntan lotion becomes a bestseller, and we again start thanking God for air conditioning. The other day I was describing summer as having one of the toughest callings there is. Spring is a tough act to follow with all of its beautiful colors, blossoming life, and reminders of spiritual resurrection. But summer does have its own wonder and metaphors for the spiritual life. God can be found here as He can in all the seasons of nature and the seasons within our personal lives.

People are also a great place to find God. The other day I got teary-eyed thinking about my father. My father is the greatest. Actually, I am currently working with a guy who is only three years younger than my Pop and embodies so many of his characteristics. This guy is like a home away from home for me. He talks about his sons all the time, bragging on their accomplishments, talking about the potential for their lives, and how much he misses being around them. The other night he shared how in his earlier professional life, he walked away from a good opportunity so he could spend more time with his boys. Pop’s the same way—he would have done anything to spend time with my older brother and me.

Through time spent with my associate and Pop, you could say I have found God. Their personalities, scruples, and priorities have been good for my Christian life. They both have a knack for taking the every-day, normal-looking stuff like fatherhood and work and, through them, creating legacies for their families and acquaintances. I am certainly a better man because of my father. Without his fatherhood, I would not have been provided the many wonderful opportunities to live life that I have. Sure, life would have still happened to me anyway, but I would not trade in my "Pop" moments for others. I still wear a few of his hand-me-down ties, enjoy music from a radio that he bought me, and know a little bit about Jesus because He does.

I am just now figuring out how wise Pop has been all these years, how he has been the house of God. The Bible does speak of God living in people, filling them with His Spirit, and transforming them into new creatures. If people are the house of God, then we need to be around them; and not only be around them, but appreciate, listen to, and learn from them. My relationship with my father has taught me how valuable love can be to one’s life. I now want to become this source of love, hope, and joy for others. I want to work prayerfully, commit myself to good causes, and rain benevolence along the way so as to create the kind of life for someone else that my father has created for me. I now want to be a father.

Just because I am ready to be a father doesn’t mean it is God’s time for that. But it is always the right time to seek and know God, simply because He is so near. He is in people. He is waiting for us to come as we are and be with people—to talk, listen, laugh, dream, discuss the news, cry, pray, and watch movies with them. Somewhere in all of these experiences God unfolds Himself to us.

Yesterday I was in a large airport waiting for a friend to arrive. If you happen to be in a rut of depression, I encourage you to do what I did yesterday. I sat outside one of the terminals and watched people on arriving flights come through the exit tunnels and greet waiting family members and friends. There were lots of hugs, kisses, laughter, and exchanges of smiles. These people’s reactions to one another was proof that life is lived at the point of getting to know another person intimately. I know I wanted my wife to be right beside me so that I could tell her how much she meant to me, how much I had learned about God from her, how beautiful I thought she was.

In the month of June, it is tradition to celebrate Father’s Day. On this day, I am reminded that I would not be who I am without the help of my father. I am reminded of the many ways God has spoken to me and lived with me through the presence of others. I am reminded that I am the house of God too—a place where others can find God.

Copyright Sean K. Mitchell

Sean K. Mitchell is a fundraising consultant and a creative writer. He is also the author of The Financial Pilgrimage, a book that helps Christians embrace a fresh approach to financial decisions and Christian living. For more information on the book or to contact Sean, visit www.seankmitchell.com.