Inspire

I’m sure I am not the only one who has pets at home at the moment who are not liking this heat!! My dogs are often found splooting on the tiles - all flopped out with their bellies on the ground trying to cool off as best as they can. They look kind of cute until you consider that most mammals don’t sweat, and so sometimes the only way for them to cool off is to lie on the cool ground. This actually makes me feel thankful for the ability to sweat, well maybe not quite, but I am grateful that I have the ability to control the air conditioning to help!

Do you ever feel like the heat is on in your life?

Not the rising of the temperature in a car that has been sitting all day in the heat of summer type of heat, but the rising of trials, troubles and stress in your life that can make your life feel like you are reaching your boiling point.

Life has a way of taking our breath just like stepping outside when the humidity is at 90% or the heat is dry and scorching. 

In both cases, there is often the need for some refreshment from the heat. In the Bible, the apostle Paul shares often about the need for refreshment in his life as he served the Lord. In the midst of his darkness was a bright light—a man named Onesiphorus. His name means “profit bearing” or “help bringer.” This man lived out his name. When Paul was deserted by others, Onesiphorus sought him out and refreshed him (2 Timothy 1:15–18). The word “refreshed” means “to cool again” or in some translations, “Bracing me like fresh air”. Paul shows us that it is often people in our lives that God uses to help cool the heat of our troubled soul. 

May Christ refresh our spirits so we can refresh others. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians, we are comforted so we can also comfort others. May that be true of us all. May God help each of us to search out those who need to be refreshed and be that person in their lives. In this heat, may we all enjoy some cool breezes that refresh our bodies and our souls.

Submitted by Bec Mattner