Into the Mist

Is there a difference between fog and mist? Doesn’t matter if you live on a high hill. White fluffy stuff hugging the ground, floating through the trees, and restricting your view to only a few yards might even be clouds. This summer my house has seen it all. But sometimes the combination of heat, humidity, and thundershowers creates an eerie setting in the thick surrounding woods—rolling waves of heavy mist, deep shadows behind trees, cemetery quietness. If beads of sweat weren’t trickling down every inch of your body because of the heat, you’d swear you were on the location of a horror movie. Just imagine the background music intensifying, your heart rate increasing, a twig on the ground snapping nearby, then a big green slimy creature jumps you. Yikes!

Oh, it’s a frog. Out on his evening bug-eating trip, making the most of a damp situation. More water means more bugs means a bigger supper. Something similar to when some people see a half full glass of water as a refreshing drink and others looking at the same glass consider it half empty and not enough to satisfy their thirst. The Apostle Paul had the frog’s attitude when he wrote in Philippians 4:12-13, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation . . . I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Yeah, doing life with God provides a path out of the mist and into the sunshine.

What’s going on at your house this Southern-fried Friday? Sun, rain, fog, frog invasion? A bunch of rowdy squirrels recently invaded a friend’s patio and did some hard partying. They were definitely content with their situation. I’m not sure she had the same attitude. Then I saw a bear on TV soaking in a swimming pool . . . and several videos of dogs playing in sprinklers . . .