I loathe it! There is absolutely nothing I like about it!  Yes, it’s the hot days of summer. I’ve never been a summer fan. I  prefer cool or even cold weather, as I can bundle up and be cozy, but with the heat, it suffocates me. In Texas no matter how early your arise or how late you go outdoors, in the summer it’s hot!- Very, very hot!

Last year I spent thousands of dollars for a landscaper to add shrubs and lawn which this home lacked. Daily I’ve been fighting to keep the flora alive. The flowers don’t bloom. The shrubs look wilted, but I just want them to survive.  In the past fifteen months since the lawn and shrubs were planted, I lost many to the freezing temperatures last winter and now am losing more to the heat of this “fiery furnace” summer.  

Daily I drag my garden hose from place to place trying to give some additional nourishment to the plants which are struggling to survive; those plants which just can’t make it with the underground irrigation system alone. The heat which burns our skin, causes animals to dig deeper for food and water and destroys life if there is no protection from it, is the same heat I read of today.

 Reading in preparation for an upcoming discipleship course at my church, the words of Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp spoke of heat. “Heat describes life and all that comes upon us in a fallen world. It represents a person’s current situation with all of its difficulties, temptations, and blessings. God knows the details of our lives and worlds and He sees how we respond in these situations.”

The authors continue to ask us, “what is your difficulty? …the letter of James…is a trial, an external situation (heat) that reveals the hearts intentions.” Although, I have never paralleled heat with the trials in my life I grasped what the authors were sharing, as I’ve witnessed the challenges of survival in these extreme conditions. Some humans suffer from heat strokes or exhaustion, while others just become extremely uncomfortable. Some flora dies while others “hang on”, parched and thristy.

How do we handle the heat (trials) in our lives? The pastor noted yesterday that during difficulties we may become angry or bitter, while others will be drawn closer to the Lord. Lane and Tripp stated, “nothing in the situation-the heat-makes you sin, or makes you loving and wise. You either choose to sin or choose for God in every circumstance.”

The heat (trials) in our lives will not be permanent. My daily thoughts are on the days I will experience cooler temperatures-when I can walk outdoors in the morning or evening and feel a cool breeze on my face. But for now-it is hot!  Will we wilt and perhaps die or will we survive these trials? As Christians, we can turn to God for coolness and refreshment. I Peter 5:10 NIV, “and the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make your strong.”