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Lately, the temperature in Florida has topped 100°. I saw on the news that the Northeast is also hitting 100°.
Records show this is the hottest June our country has seen. This heat has serious consequences. The human body can’t handle such heat for long.
Just the other day, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage complained about how hot it was. “Oh, my,” she said, “where does all this heat come from?”
I could have said, “It’s summer, the sun is out, and the heat comes from the sun.” But I knew that wasn’t the answer she wanted, so I held back.
At my stage in life, when I step out into the hot sun, I start sweating. That sweat drives me crazy. The sweat runs from the top of my head all the way to the bottom of my feet. Everything about me is soaked. Believe me, it’s not my favorite attitude.
I walked into the house and The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage looked up and asked, “Did you take a shower with your clothes on?” Then she laughs. I did not respond.
My recliner is next to our big glass door. I can see the sun shining and feel the heat. I sigh deeply because I’m glad to be on the cool side. I enjoy the heat outside while I stay cool indoors.
One thing about this heat season that I have learned is, I avoid driving when it’s this hot—not because my A/C doesn’t work, but because other drivers have attitudes I can’t relate to. The other day, I was driving across town. I saw cars go by with drivers shaking their fists out the window. It’s like they thought that would fix anything!
In the late afternoon, the sun had been blazing all day and showed no signs of letting up. I was in my recliner drinking some ice tea when The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage sat down in the rocking chair and asked, “When will this heat go away?”
I chuckled to myself, remembering about a month ago a cloudy day with rain. Back then, she looked out the window and asked, “Where in the world is the sun?”
I wanted to respond, “My dear, the sun is in the sky, just above the clouds.”
The heat is not about numbers; it’s about attitude. Some people’s attitudes make me uncomfortable. Shaking fists and yelling at the sky show an attitude not rooted in sanity.
One of the best things about a hot, sunny afternoon is, I can sit down and enjoy it in a cool atmosphere. I remember those days far, far away when I lived up north and had to look out the and see white fluffy stuff fill up our yard and driveway. Maybe if I would’ve stood there and shook my fist at the snow it would have gone away.
While contemplating on this I thought of some scripture.
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4).
My attitude should not be based on what’s going on around me. The heat and the cold comes and goes, but my relationship with God is firmly rooted in God’s Word.
Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@ gmail.com, website www. jamessnyderministries.com
