In the dryness of summer, in the discomfort of heat - I find myself weary. Heat is my enemy, I often find myself believing. I hate to sweat, hate to tire and hate feeling like a heating pad. And so, I drink water for my thirst, eat ice cream for my tongue and crank up the AC to keep my skin comfortable. All summer long, I maintain habits to keep thoughts of chill on my mind and beat the heat.

But there is a dryness and heat that none of these things helps. Just as I struggle to endure the physical heat, so my spirit struggles to endure the dry spell brought by seeking temporary pleasures. And like the other things, there is a simple fix - pure and simple spiritual discipline. But surrending to it is what seems so difficult after years of faithfulness. So I fail to relinquish selfish desires, I fail to keep Christ-minded. I fail to really focus on others, and fail to even speak with my Father. And why? I fail because I want life my way, just for a little while.So it is no surprise that David's thirst for God is one I know all too well! And yet David, like Christ, brought nothing on himself as we sometimes do.

So I ponder again - how fitting this psalm is for me at this point in the summer? Even more so, I wonder - how many others are suffering from heat exhaustion? How many know where to find the water? How many will face the heat of the refiner's fire and fail? The more I dwell on these, the more I realize how silly my selfishness is.