It’s A Dry Heat

When my wife and I were traveling a few weeks ago, we visited some of her cousins in Phoenix, Arizona. The day we arrived it was 110 degrees. That’s the actual temperature, not the heat index. When I mentioned the temperature to Jeannine’s cousin, Russ, he said, “Yeah, but it’s a dry heat.”

Granted, the humidity level in Arizona is lower than it is in Virginia, but 110 is still pretty darn hot. I kept thinking to myself while we were there, “Who in their right mind would want to live in a place where it is so hot?”

Well, the answer to that question is: Cousin Russ. He loves it out there. He loves the low humidity. He loves the mild winters. He loves being able to stand outside in January in his shorts. He loves not having to shovel snow, rake leaves, or cut grass. (His front yard is astroturf!) He loves cactus, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Arizona Cardinals.

Just like Russ likes Arizona, I like Virginia. I love the changing seasons. I love the falling leaves and the cooler weather and the possibility of snow. And I like the Washington Commanders and the Washington Nationals. I guess it’s all a matter of what we are used to. (Italics added for emphasis)

If Russ were to move to Alexandria, I’m sure he would adapt and grow to like it. And if I moved to Phoenix, I would adapt and learn to like it as well. One of the wonders of God’s design is that he created human beings to be adaptable.

The past few weeks have brought great change to our new building plans at Virginia Hills. In order to reduce costs, we have needed to adjust the size of the building. Some of these adjustments have been painful.

I think the reason for the pain is that a change in plans is different than what we are used to. Isn’t it ironic that the plans themselves have become the norm? At this point the old plans and the new plans represent a building that doesn’t exist yet!

This past Sunday the building committee met to discuss ideas for cost-saving changes to our design. Today, our architect forwarded a new plan based on that discussion. I had made up my mind ahead of time that the new plan would be disappointing. (i.e. – not what I’d become used to) But when I saw the new design, it stirred my heart in a way that was exciting. It made me think, “Oh! Maybe this is what God had in mind the whole time. We just needed to catch up to Him.”