The thermostat arrow has been brushing 90 degrees for nearly a week in my house. Under the rising temps of the Tennessee summer sun, I was informed the air conditioning compressor broke. I am hot and my temper is infuriated with each passing minute inside these walls. It feels like a furnace of frustration stewing in a sauna of a waiting room.

I’m convinced the devil is turning up the heat so I won’t be able to write in the comfort of my own home. So during the day, I uproot to a Starbucks lounge to pen out my manuscript. It’s a huge hassle because I have not mastered the art of packing light.

Today I arrived home to find my air conditioning was finally fixed! I swung the door open and a blast of cool air sent a greeting right back. What a great way to come home. I dropped everything and explored the other rooms. The vents were all blowing cold air. I fixed a snack and unpacked my bags. This is the time, right after work, I had scheduled to sit down and write, so I open up my computer. Before long, I find myself running on rabbit trails of distractions; ‘I should pay my electric bill first’, ‘I need to cancel my membership to that company before I forget’, ‘I need to text my sister real quick’, ‘let me check my email to see if I got those tickets yet’. Ugh.

I realized in all this that maybe what I thought to be the devil in disguise was actually God’s hand shielding me from the center of getting comfortable. When I’m comfortable, I don’t do my best work. I begin to relax into the work and get lazy when I’m comfortable. The point that my workouts stop being effective is when I become comfortable with exercise.

Living a life of purpose is rarely comfortable. Perhaps when the heat is up, I am right where God wants me… chasing my passion down with determination to fight the fire and complete what my Author has written with this heart.

God, open my eyes to see the beauty of your hand instead of looking for the blame. You are the strength behind the work of these hands. Steal the show, Jesus, with the words You have yet to write through these hands. To You be the glory God, who is able, through your mighty power at work within me, to accomplish infinitely more than I might ask or even think. (Ephesians 3:20) Amen.