Here we are in August, closing in on these “dog days of summer”. We all know the hot, muggy weather we can experience in this part of the world. So what, exactly, are the “dog days”, and why do we call them such?
According to “Wikipedia”:
“The phrase Dog Days or “the dog days of summer“, refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere that usually falls between early July and early September but the actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.
The term “Dog Days” was used by the Greeks…as well as the ancient Romans…after Sirius (the “Dog Star”), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun.
Popularly believed to be an evil time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies” – Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.
…The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.”
Hmmm. Hot, stagnant, and a dull lack of progress accompanied by ancient astrology and canine sacrifice. And I thought it was just bloody hot! Our summer months roll along and will soon give way to fall. The busy-ness of autumnal motion is familiar to all; school days return, activities commence, and the turning of seasons readies us for winter’s onslaught. Maybe we need some dog days to rest and renew. Yet reflecting on my personal calendar, and knowing I’m not alone, these dog days have nothing to do with stagnation or dull lack of progress. We’re plenty busy now, sometimes to the point of “burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies”.
Even so, if we come across the occasion to rest and renew, it is a welcomed gift. Such it is with our lives of faith, devotion and discipleship. Rest and renewal are critical to our well-being. This doesn’t mean, (and we’re all guilty at times), that we put God on a shelf until the vacation’s over and Labor Day arrives. It’s the perfect time to reconnect with the spiritual core of our selves. Jesus always awaits with open arms to welcome, forgive, and make us whole. Every day.
So when your dogs are barkin’ these days, by all means rest. But know that the Lord who loves you as much as life itself calls your soul to fresh newness. Found nowhere else in all creation, it’s just what we need.
