Grateful for the Heat

Here in the northeast, we're getting absolutely blistered! In Western New York, we're a bit more fortunate. It only feels like high 90's. It's hot, for sure, but still tolerable. I'm grateful that we don't get too many of these days in one year.

I've been asking people, "How are you beating the heat?" Each response made me realize how blessed we really are.

• "I'm staying inside." Praise God you have a house to enter. So many people in the world don't.
• "I'm staying in front of the air conditioner." Even if your house doesn't have central air, perhaps you have one or two rooms you cool with air conditioners. If so, praise God you have an air conditioner. There are people in the world who wouldn't recognize an air conditioner. Even if they knew what it did, they couldn't afford one.
• "I'm parked in front of my fan." Praise God you have a fan or two. Praise God you have access to electricity to power your fans.
• "I'm pretty much living in my pool." Praise God you have a pool. Praise God you can afford the electricity to run the pump and filter. Praise God you can afford the chemicals. Praise God you can afford the water bill.
• "I'm hanging out in the mall where it's cool." Praise God you live in a country with so many malls. Praise God the owners let you just sit there.

We have a choice: complain about the heat or rejoice in our blessings. (For those complaining about the heat, remember...mid-January is coming.)

True vs. "Feels Like"

According to www.wgrz.com, the true temperature in Buffalo right now is 27 degrees. That's the good news. The bad news is that the 27 degrees feels like 10 degrees, thanks to a 28 m.p.h. wind.

This reminds me of the tension between faith and feeling, between trusting God says and looking at my surroundings. Fact: It is 27 degrees. No matter how much the wind blows, it will still be 27 degrees. Fact: It is 27 degrees. No matter how cloudy it is, it will still be 27 degrees. Fact: It is 27 degrees. No matter what it feels like (10 degrees), it is still 27 degrees.

When life brings hardship, you will be torn between true and "feels like," between faith and feeling. Which you choose determines how cold you act. It doesn't matter what the elements say. It doesn't matter so much what it feels like. What matters most is a clear understanding of what God has said.