That's hot

I would much rather live on a fireball than on an iceberg.

I truly hate the cold and love summer. July might be my favorite month, even though I know people cringe at the thought of the perpetual heat index of 162 in which we find ourselves in Texas during this month. It's also no the best time of year to run quality racing times, but it sure is fabulous in so many other regards.

Now, I realize many people disagree with me and find the Texas summer heat to be miserable. But, I've come up with multiple reasons as to why the triple digits are actually pretty awesome.

-When you do go running, you can embrace your inner Gatorade commercial. When that sweat is dripping down your face (and every other part of your body, for that matter), just picture yourself as one of those ridiculously fit athletes, with the words "Is it in you?" printed across the screen of your life. I promise your pace will pick up a bit when you do so.

-You don't have to worry about the icy sting of cold water when you first jump in the pool. In fact, at times, it may feel more like a bathtub or hot tub. But at least you won't be timidly touching the water with your toe or making the slow, torturous entrance on the steps into something that feels like the Atlantic waters that froze the passengers of the Titanic.

-Honestly, you really don't need to check the forecast if you're concerned about what you should wear. I can help you out with that right now. The forecast: scorching hot. What you should wear: as little as possible without being scandalous.

-It's baseball season. Go Rangers! Enough said. (Just be thankful you aren't the one out there in long pants, standing in a field as the blazing sun beats down on you.)

-It sure makes a lot more sense for you to run through your neighbor's sprinklers. It also doesn't seem so strange to set up some long, ugly yellow mat in your front yard, run water over it, then run and throw your body on it, sending you sliding as you hope you don't hit some random twig or divot you missed when you covered the ground with your Slip 'N Slide.

-Come on, you know it's slightly entertaining how people continuously post the weekly forecasts and the temps on their dashboards all over Facebook. We get it—it's hot. Still, if you want a little chuckle, just peruse your news feed, focusing mostly on your Texas friends.

Summer goodness

-Two words: snow cones. It's beautiful that shaved ice and artificial flavoring can come together to make such a marvelous treat to chill your mind yet warm your heart every summer.

You may think the heat is horrible, but it's really not all that bad. It's just a period of your life you have to endure.

We will often find ourselves in the heat waves of life, when it feels like everything is beating us down, and there's no way we can win our battles. But God gives us resources to overcome these obstacles. But, just like uncovering the subtle pleasures of grueling summers, you sometimes have to dig a little more deeply than you might wish.

And when you get to the end of those struggles, God will be there with your favorite snow cone in His hand, which is right where you've been all along.