It’s Hot Out Here

Think Hot

Texas summers can be brutal. By August the monotonous stretches of 90-plus-degree temperatures leave you desperate for relief.

The afternoon sun was high and so was the grass. Mowing earlier in the day would have been wise, but schedules and life often require flexibility.

A couple of passes in the front yard and my pores were leaking. Rivulets of sweat ran down my face and back while flecks of grass and dust kicked up by the mower plastered my clammy legs. Wiping my eyes while trudging across the too-tall turf, I vowed I would mow in the morning next time.

By the time the front yard was finished, my heart was throbbing in my ears. I turned the mower off and proceeded to the backyard. The oven-like air, thick and stifling, mimicked the distressed state of my soul.

Think Relief

The expansive canopy of leaves in the backyard created a welcome reprieve from the broiling sun. But not for my heart.

The weighty burden lodged deep within would not budge with a simple change of location. My physical condition improved with the shady refuge, but the troubling situation held fast as if clamped in a vise. 

Pulling the cord, the mower started immediately. Pass after pass I wrestled with God. I told Him I did not understand what was unfolding. I was unable to see through the difficulty or find a place to settle.

Back and forth. I have no answers, only questions.

Back and forth. No clarity, only weighty oppression, along with confused concern. 

Back and forth.

I felt stuck, like my sopping hair, glued to the back of my neck as I strained to cut swaths of thick grass. 

Ok, what do You have to say about all of this, God? 

No sooner had I inquired when things began to download. Heavenly thoughts, godly truths, realties—different than the vain imaginations and free-range thinking I had perfected.

Succinct and clear, the answer was love. In this impossible and cloudy situation, all I needed to do was love?

I did not need to figure things out, orchestrate a favorable outcome or continue ruminating on something that was ravaging my soul? All God wanted me to do was love?

Relief of another kind rushed in. Comfort instead of confusion expanded bringing a sense of wellness, peace, and stability. The angst fled as the vice grip on my heart vanished.

What was I thinking?

Now that is a terrific question—‘What was I thinking?’

I was thinking about the problem, the uneasiness in my soul, all the swirling doubts while the hop-scotching angst tromped on my heart. The ‘what-if’s’ and ‘what about…’ possibilities fueling my plunge into a blistering inferno of mental anguish. 

No wonder I felt scalded. 

And that feeling had nothing to do with mowing the yard in the blazing heat. I was reasoning apart from Truth. Leaning on my own understanding. Not only indulging roving thoughts but embracing the wild, rambunctious, peace-thieving notions as if they were welcome guests to be entertained.

I had failed to take my thoughts captive then found myself captivated by fear and distress. I chose to focus on the problem, fertilizing it with regular rumination. 

Jesus’ invitation to come to Him was lost. Forgotten. Rejected because I was blazing my own way.

Think Rest

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”                                     

                                                              Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

Instead of accepting His kind invite to lift my weariness, I disregarded Christ’s offer. I was too busy tending to those circuitous, angst-producing thoughts. Actually, in all my thinking I failed to consider what God had to say and had become a sweaty mess.

Mowing coarse grass in the blazing heat, while dripping in sweat wasn’t lost on me. 

The moment I turned to God for help everything in my soul shifted. 

Asking God His opinion by seeking Truth was like releasing a pressure cooker. No longer trapped in my confining thoughts, sweltering in uncertainty with increasing pressure, my simple inquiry moved me off the path of pride onto the course of humbly acknowledging my need. Was the oppression I was experiencing God’s grace, showing me I was out of step with Him?

Think About This

While the lawn mowing situation paralleled the results from my recalcitrant thinking, there was another facet that declared God’s goodness—the grace of shade. 

When I avail myself of the grace of God’s truth, it’s like retreating to the shade on a blistering summer day. Instead of persevering in my own strength, finagling things the way I think is best, and living apart from Reality, I am invited to come to the Son. Jesus welcomes me to take refuge in His presence and more than that, to snuggle up, stay close, and “keep company” with Him.  Go the way He is going. He is the Way after all. He promises to teach me how to do life—real life—His way. He even guarantees some of that it-is-well-with-my-soul richness He died to give us. Talk about comfort!

Turning to Truth instead of turning troubles over in my mind can bring instant relief. The scriptures are shady places where we are sure to find comfort.

What do you think?

Last week I was enjoying the shade when all these thoughts about grace, truth, rest, deliverance, freedom, and fullness converged. I realized God’s Word is a shady place for sunny people. Or rather, a shady place for the sons and daughters of God. A gracious fortress where we can run to with every trial and temptation. A place of retreat to find margin, relief, and clear guidance to keep us from being incinerated by the heat of life in a broken world.

I hope to explore some specific shady places in God’s Word over the next few weeks. Will you join me and we can explore the grace of shade together?

For additional thoughts see Salty Oats.