The Dog Days of Summer

It’s clear to see that this heat wave is leaving it’s mark.  As I stare out the window, the trees stand motionless.  The lack of any kind of breeze makes them look lazy, their leaves aren’t even flickering.  They’ve developed an attitude.  They’re rebelling against the triple digit temperatures.  It’s as if they’ve come to a collective agreement that the less they move, the cooler they will be.  Trees are smart.

The heat has stifled the birds as well.  Their probably huddled away in a cooler part of the tree top, trying to find relief beneath the thickest and broadest branch they can find.  Perhaps they’re fanning each other with their wings.  Its too hot to fly and too hot to squawk.  There will be no foraging today for these birds.  Just a lazy day spent in a lazy tree.

It’s eerily quiet.  The heat wave has pushed the mute button on life.  In fact the only sounds I hear are the rattling of the insects in the weeds and the familiar buzz of the A/C unit that sits just below my bedroom window.  It’s odd for it to be humming along at such an early hour.  It usually doesn’t kick on until the sun has fully risen.  It just goes to show that the heat changes things.  Things are not normal.

I guess we are in the dog days of summer but don’t tell my dog that.  When I open the door to let her out, she looks at me like I’m stupid.  ”Are you nuts?” she’s thinking, “I’m not like you.  I can hold it.”  The squirrels and chipmunks can wait.  She has no desire to chase them today.  She is perfectly content with sleeping all day underneath the ceiling fan and dreaming of autumn when the air is crisp and the sun goes down earlier.  Dogs are smart.

We can acclimate to the heat in most cases.  But not this kind of heat.  This kind of heat slows everything down.  It zaps us of energy.  It’s another simple reminder of how God has control.  He is dictating the pace.

The heat wave has us.  We have to slow down and take shelter.  Maybe God wants us to take it easy and suffer a little.  There is little comfort when it’s 103 degrees.  This is our opportunity to enjoy the silence, sit in the shade, sweat a little and enjoy something cold to drink.

Stay cool my friends.