It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity

Here's what I've been hearing in Minnesota for the past few weeks – “You can’t do anything in this heat!” “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” “Oh my gosh, I am SO hot!”  “This heat is oppressive.”  And on it goes.  Of course just a few short weeks before this, we were complaining that summer had yet to start.  We were whining about the rain and the cold.  And, just as the heat began, people were griping about the fact that half the summer was over.  And, yes, I was one of those people.  I complained about the heat, the humidity, the cold, the rain, and the fact that summer is halfway over.

Why oh why can’t we be satisfied with exactly where we are, what we have been given (even the heat!) and how very, very lucky we are.  Why oh why aren’t we counting our blessings.  Where is our gratitude?  

I am continually looking behind, “The weeks are just flying by!”  “Oh, I’ve been so busy.”  Or looking ahead, “We need to do this, get that, change this and change that.”  I know that I need to live in the moment and to savor all that is in front of me right now.   And to be continually thankful for all that God has provided.

He provides the strength and peace we need.  He provides us with our basic needs; food, shelter, clothing, sanitation, education, healthcare.  All we need to do is communicate with Him and be grateful for all He provides.  He even encourages us to ask for more!  And, He knows exactly what we need when we need it.

So, today I will be grateful.  I will reach out to my Father and be thankful for exactly where I am, which is exactly where I am meant to be.  I will be thankful for my husband, my children, my grandchildren.  I will be thankful for my mom, my sisters and their families.  I will be thankful for my talents, the gifts he has given me to carry into the world.  I will be thankful for all of the beauty I see when I look out my window.  I will even be thankful for the heat, the humidity and whatever weather we have coming our way.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonions 5:18

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Collossians 3:15-17