If you can't stand the heat...go to church?

Have you ever heard the phrase "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen?" That saying has been running through my mind all day because its sooo stinkin' hot out! But the one thing that I keep bringing into the equation is, what if you can't get out of the kitchen? As I was running around town today, I kept thinking to myself how hot it was with the sun beating down, how I was sweating and how uncomfortable I was. All those feelings were taken away when I opened the door to the church and was hit with a cool breeze. It's like my body went from being in the uncomfortable shock of the heat to the normal feeling of air conditioning. We are lucky enough to be able to get out of the heat (or the kitchen) when it gets too uncomfortable for us.
But what about those who can't get out? What about all the workers in the Dominican who work outside all day, everyday in the heat and can't run and seek an air conditioned building to hide in, yet somehow these people continue to praise God for everything that they have. Praise him for life, health and the ability to walk and talk. They just live to praise his name. They praise God with everything they have even though they are stuck in the kitchen... no matter how hot it gets. Many times we have "hot" weeks. Weeks where sin is just pounding us down. It's always around us and it feels like there is no way out. Then, when Sunday rolls around and you step into the church, you get that feeling of comfort and relaxation and for those two hours or so that you are there, everything is gone. The only problem is that the sin of this world that attacks you daily is still out there waiting.
So many people rely on Sundays to recharge their batteries and cool down from the heat of sin. But we can't go about our lives just waiting for Sunday to roll around. We need to go about everyday as if it were Sunday. Fight the heat (sin) and praise God for all the good He has done and for all the blessings in your life. Stop thinking about how little you have or how much is going wrong that day, and start thinking about how blessed you are to be alive and how much you do have in life. The heat (sin) will always be there until Jesus returns. Don't run from the heat and seek the cool air once a week. Fight the heat with the Holy Spirit and praise. Once you change your mentality from flight to fight, things will begin to look a lot more positive. God is all-knowing and all-powerful. If you stick by Him, He will never let you fall victim to the heat. So if you can't stand the heat (sin), don't get out of the kitchen (hide from this world.) Do what you can to make the kitchen a better place for others and for Christ.