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Snow in Summer

In Disney's iconic movie Frozen, there is a lovable snowman named Olaf, who in one particular scene, dreams about how great his life would be in summertime. He breaks into song about how much cooler he'd be "sitting in the summer sun, letting off steam." The lyrics are funny because he is blissfully unaware of the fate he would suffer once summer arrived. 

We understand that snow does not belong in the summer. Olaf was mistaken when he sang,

"Winter's a great time to stay in and cuddle,                                                                                                But put me in summer and I'll be a...happy snowman!"

I'll admit though, this North Texas sun has me wishing for snow. We have had three consecutive weeks of triple digit highs, and rain has been scarce. Our grass looks like it has disintegrated. An afternoon snowstorm would really make me happy; I would settle for mid-90's! 

But we know that won't happen because snow doesn't belong in summer. That is nothing new. King Solomon addressed that in Proverbs 26:1, where he wrote, "Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool."

Snow doesn't belong in summer, and rain doesn't belong in harvest. We might not think of it like that because rain is vital to the life of the crops, but not during harvest. Rain was needed in preparation for planting season, and during the growing season, but the strong Israeli rains could actually damage the crops when they were about to be harvested. 

Solomon mentioned two pair of things that don't belong together, and then gave a third pair: honor and a fool. A foolish person is not deserving of honor; the two do not even belong in the same sentence. 

The fool does nothing that is praiseworthy. He cuts corners and does subpar work; he makes mistakes due to lack of effort, and isn't bothered by them when they come to light. He is content to do the job just good enough. The phrase "above and beyond" is not in the fool's vocabulary. 

If you want to be honored (or have a good reputation, as that word can mean), do not be a fool. Strive for excellence in all you do. Go the extra mile. You don't need rain during harvest, and you can't have snow during summer; you also can't have honor if you choose to be a fool. 

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