Heat

Well it is SUMMER TIME!  I have ALWAYS LOVED SUMMER TIME!!!  As an adult it doesn’t have the same “feel” as it did as a child of lazy days & suntans - but I still love to welcome Summer!  Funny thing is that we LIVE in the summer temperatures all year long, and yet I still welcome the summer.  If I could live at a cool 70 something degree climate - that would be great, but I enjoy the HEAT!  

Heat has a way of  bringing out the little things, doesn’t it?  I find it harder to do tasks and the energy level is sometimes decreased when I am not acclimated to the climate.  But, once acclimated to the climate - it is not so hard!  (ie. running outside in humidity and heat)

That makes me think about the other “HEAT” the Lord brings to our lives.  HEAT like emotions, feelings, a mountain of “TO-Do’s”, making all meals, laundry, cleaning, homeschooling, ministry and let’s not forget the biggy::: relationships!  

My brother in law once told me that LIFE IS THE SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT.  I gotta Amen that right now!! Ha!  

There are things we walk through in life that we can never get in a book.  Yes, the answers to life are in the Bible, but there is a whole lot of flesh, mind, emotions & will that you have to deal with to get through it!

James puts our trials this way: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.                       James 1:2-3

So whatever your “HEAT” is - welcome it!  God is at work!  He often uses others too!  Yes, their bad attitude, hi-lo emotions, self centeredness is an opportunity for YOU to be like Jesus.  Trust me, this is a personal message, God has been at work here!   :) 

It’s also important to reminded, we have plenty of our own flaws - even though others are much easier to see 

So no matter what comes your way, you are being called up into who He has called you to be!  As a Child of God: You are Royalty.  Your Father is a King. (Ephesians 4:1-3 Look it up) I will leave you with a couple quotes to ponder on as I have been:

There is ALWAYS something to be THANKFUL for.

Give Grace! “If you believe in grace, then let it change you.  Don’t use it as an excuse to stay where you are.” Joyce Meyer

The more you loose yourself in Christ, the less you loose yourself in your flesh :) 

Sometimes those things we don’t like “in” others is often what is actually “in” us. - Beth Moore

Compassion will always go farther than criticism.  Maybe they are having a bad day? 

Lastly, a question worth pondering: How can I bless (with words, a gift, prayer) this person in my life?