The Heat Is On!

With temperatures soaring to 101 degrees on Wednesday and record temperatures are to reach 100 degrees again today, I started to think about how much I do not like the heat.  I’m so thankful for the gift of air conditioning and friends who have pools!  Without either of them, the heat this week would probably make life a lot harder to tolerate. 

As I reflected on the heat over the Fourth of July, God reminded me of all the times that He turned up the heat in my life.  Sometimes for the good, other times to learn and to grow.  When God turns up the heat for good, we are usually confronted with something that we need to get moving on.  Perhaps it was that phone call to a friend or to finish a big project or to stop procrastinating and get moving in the direction He wants you to move. 

Other times, when God turns up the heat in our lives, we find ourselves asking a lot of the “why” questions. Why me?  Why am I suffering?  Why can’t I ever get a break?  Why is it that everyone else seems to breeze through life and I don’t?  Why didn’t I get into the college I wanted?  What’s wrong with me God?  Why don’t I ever get the promotion?  During these type of “heat sessions,” God seems to direct us to His Word and to look inwardly at our own hearts and actions.  God is gently nudging us to re-evaluate our lives.  A very wise friend, who is an adopted mom to me, Dar Sjostrom, told me that while we like the mountain-top experiences with God, the grass grows in the valleys, not on the mountain tops.  God is nearest to us in the valleys and struggles of our lives.  And we grow the most in our faith and relationship with God in the valleys of life. 

So while the heat continues outside, think about the heat that God may be turning up in your life.  Let Him walk with you.  Take His hand and let Him take the lead.  Yes, you will go through some interesting walks and places, but the journey will be worth it.  Embrace the heat! 

Here’s a great song that reminds us that the God on the mountain is the God in the valley.

In His Grip!
Pastor Carol