Our household has experienced the onset of plagues. Some have been educational, others exciting, and the rest are embraced as wise judgements from a loving Father.

In cleaning out the gutter in front of his warehouse, David discovered the mother lode of worms. For five years, leaves have been falling through the grille and rotting in the channel, creating excellent, worm-friendly soil. Through patient admonition, David talked Brioni into handling the worms as he sought to preserve each one for a more productive life in our vegie garden.

Soon Brioni was an old pro at handling our squirmy friends and brought one up to the house to show me.

And of course, in a household with children, there’s usually blood flowing. Aisha had a fall when she was attempting to fly around the clothesline again. Nothing was serious, but the sight of blood still brings on an initial pang of anxiety that sets the heart racing.

Ever since our trip to Africa in 2004, David and I have been plagued with boils. With the warmer weather, it’s boil season for me again, and I’m suffering. Nevertheless, these boils are a reminder of the words of the Biblical Job who was also plagued with boils who said of God (and prompts me to sing), Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him.

Then, for a bit of a excitement, our house was flooded one morning. The washing machine overflowed (I can’t ever trust the water-level dial again!) and the (thankfully, clean) water spread throughout our dining and kitchen areas.

My floors have *never* been this shiny before! The water escaped from the laundry and flowed into the dining and kitchen areas.

In the last week we also experienced the thrill of the girls’ first hailstorm. (We were in a spectacular one in Armidale a couple years ago, but the girls wouldn’t remember that.) This was the first storm of the season, and I wasn’t expecting hail!

The girls didn't know whether to be frightened or excited by the little chunks of ice.

Most of the hailstones were about the size of a dice. The girls had to move quickly to eat them before they melted away.

The coming heat of summer has sent out precursors in the form of quite hot days. When outside in the sun, I can feel the UV rays burning down on me and my freckles start to quiver and spread.

In previous years, I’ve relished complaining about the heat. But this year, I’m feeling different about the summer. When I am tempted to bemoan the heat, I remember that in the Bible, heat is used as a symbol of God’s judgements.

As I’ve been getting to know the Father better, I’ve been inviting His judgements so that all of the old Lauren is burned up. So when I feel the heat of summer on my skin, my thoughts turn to the Father and the work He is doing in me. And I pray “Lord, bring your judgements so I may be made holy.”

Summer’s coming! Yes, bring it on! Bring it on, Lord!