Heat

“It’s not the heat…it’s the humidity.”  Heard that one before?  But let me tell you something. I’ve been to Arizona and Nevada in June, and the heat itself is enough to make you melt.  The so-called dry heat is just as debilitating as our high humidity and high temperatures here in Southeast Coastal Georgia. 

            I have to tell this story on myself.  My family spent 14 years in the upper Midwest.  We were in East Central Indiana, and then in metropolitan Detroit, Warren, Michigan to be exact.  The summers there were quite pleasant. Our home in Indiana had a window air conditioning unit in our bedroom.  Five to ten times a year the boys were invited to come and sleep in our room.  And there were two summers in Michigan where I don’t think the air ever came on. 

            But the winters? They could be brutal.  One year we went sixteen consecutive days where the high temperature never exceeded zero Fahrenheit.  According to the newscaster it was dangerous to walk to your mailbox.

            In 2005, when we moved from Michigan to Pembroke I made a promise to God. I would not complain about the heat.  And for 19 years I have kept that promise. I will take August here over February there any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.  Yes, I sweat a lot, and have to throw out certain shirts that I have worn to play golf all summer.  But I have chosen not to complain. Rather, I will give thanks.

            I know that we have a holiday in November set aside for the purpose of giving thanks. But I am reminded that Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  And I know that I need to be more thankful. Gratitude will go a long way in making life more enjoyable.

            I don’t know what is going on in your life, but I encourage you to practice giving thanks more often. God deserves it, and it will make your day better, too.