He doesn't work that way.

Two days ago, something kind of difficult happened. The sun and heat came back, in full-force. I mean not to complain with this post. I'm rather attempting to share the extent to which weather affects my mood and the process I'm going through to suck it up and be grateful anyway.

Sometime around the third week of September or so, I loose my patience for summer. I believe I thoroughly expressed that here. I know that living in LA means unpredictable weather day-to-day, but pretty predictable seasons. For instance, it rained last week. Hooray! But it's totally still summer weather on the whole. Here's the breakdown: we do not have a winter. Spring lasts from around the beginning of February to the middle of June. Summer arrives pretty much on time, at it's equinox and lasts until the end of September or October. And fall is from November-January. I'm no meteorologist, but I do believe this to be a pretty accurate summary of Southern California's seasons.

So tell me: why can't I just deal with the heat like a grown up? Well, I jokingly shared with everyone on Sunday, as the 90s re-emerged:

"I was so grateful for the rain and cool weather last week. I felt so happy! I kept saying, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you!', and forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought God might just reward Southern California for my gratitude."

The thing is, he doesn't work that way.

Who am I to spend so much energy complaining about such a temperamental thing as the weather? The God of the universe is taking care of thousands, nay millions of his children in my very area who have great and real needs. I do not mean to suggest that our tedious prayers bother God or waste his time, nor do I mean to say that prayer can't change something as expansive as the weather. What I AM saying is this:

God has been very patiently been teaching me over the past few months what it means to be a real grown up.

Go to work and stick out all 8-9 hours a day because you need to.

Submit to authority. It's good for you.

Stop complaining (about the weather).

He is patient and I am fickle, OH so fickle. So rather than harping upon my bad mood (which really only makes a bad mood worse, wouldn't you say?), I must choose gratitude.

Thank you, Lord for air conditioning. Thank you for a job that doesn't require me to be outside unless I want to be. Thank you for a few extra weeks to figure out my central heating and cold shower situation at home. Thank you for teaching me to be an adult and for doing so without being condescending or condemning. Thank you that you do work that way.