Do you remember how summer used to be? I don’t just mean before COVID-19, but when you were young. Growing up, summer was a time to grow a vegetable garden, of eating watermelon out on the lawn and spitting out the pits, eating ice cream on the back porch, going to the County Fair, participating in Vacation Bible School, and watching the stars shine at night. We lived out in the country, and summer was a time to be outdoors. My siblings and I would set up an old canvas tent in the backyard, what seemed like half a mile from our house, when in reality was probably only about 500 feet away. Many nights we slept in the tent in our green Coleman sleeping bags. In the daytime, the tent became our fort. We would be outside from morning until the dusk set in. My mother had a cowbell, long before Saturday Night Live made it popular, and she would ring when it was time to come in. No matter where we were in the neighborhood, if we heard that bell, we knew to drop everything and get home. We also knew the consequences of not responding to the bell!
 
It seemed that most every day was filled with the hope of new adventure. It might be swimming, riding bikes, or throwing a baseball with friends. Watching TV wasn’t even an option, and in those days, we only had five channels to choose from anyway. We had a lot of freedom to roam, to explore, to discover. We didn’t really worry about viruses or social distancing or sheltering in. In fact, who could have even imagined such a thing? Remember the “do-over” when you played games? It sure seems like we need a “do-over” for 2020!
 
It will be a different kind of summer this year. For the first time since recording such records the AAA didn’t even track travel for Memorial Day. Airlines are shaken by the impact the corona virus has had on the industry. Auto insurance companies are giving rebates to customers who have not been able to travel. In the church, some congregations are slowly beginning to test the waters and begin worship again. A recent poll facilitated by Gloo, an organization that provides data to the church and other groups, has shown that 25% of participants stated they are not coming back to church for a long time. Of that group, 15% said they would return only when there was a vaccine available and restrictions are lifted and 10% said they just weren’t sure. An additional 30% of respondents said they would rather worship at home and only return when they can be mask-free at church. At times it all seems rather hopeless.
 
As I look at the summer ahead, I see a hope-filled summer. I don’t have a crystal ball to show me the future, and I don’t have any inside information. I do have God’s Word, and His Word says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” What I know is hope doesn’t depend on trends, it doesn’t depend on news reports or the opinions of journalists. Hope is bigger than medical specialists. Hope looks beyond current circumstances to what God has planned, and we can be confident because we have a living hope made clear to us in Jesus.