The Deep End

I’m Just Sayin’ 7

There are a lot of things to like about living in South Louisiana, but, I’m just sayin’, the weather in the summertime ain’t necessarily one of them.

I lived in North Louisiana for the first 18 years of my life and when I moved to Baton Rouge, I really thought I was moving to “Cajun Country.” Since then, I’ve learned that Baton Rouge maybe isn’t so “cajun” after all – at least compared to places with names like “Cutoff” and “Hackberry” and a lot of others places that end in “x.” But one thing I learned did not change: the weather in the summer. I have learned that summers in South Louisiana consist of three consistent features: extreme heat, afternoon thunderstorms, and super-steamroom-type humidity – with the occasional hurricane thrown in for good measure.

If this type of weather has become expected and obvious to me, why is it still such a shocker to so many others? A few days without rain and you are panicking? Settle down, it’s South Louisiana. It will rain again – I promise. And plenty of it! Storming every afternoon at 3:00? Relax, enjoy the change in temperature from 98 to 91 for a few hours.

According to my Bible, God is the One Who controls the weather (see Nahum 1:3-5 and Mark 4:37-39) – even here in South Louisiana – so, I’m just sayin’, it seems a little presumptuous and critical and ungrateful to complain about the type of weather He’s choosing to send us. We do believe that He knows best – right?

I do have a helpful suggestion, though. I heard of a family once which had a really bad habit of swearing and using profanity. After they became Christians, they realized that this type of speaking was wrong, but they were having a tough time giving it up. They started something called a “swear jar.” Mom set a big jar on the kitchen counter with a slot in the lid, and every time someone said a bad word, they had to put money in the jar. What I’m thinking is, the next time you state a complaint about too much rain or too little rain or too much heat or stifling humidity or post a comment about it on the internet or grumble about it to your family, friend, or neighbor, go ahead and send me a dollar. It won’t be long until I have enough money to go investigate a place where the climate is almost always temperate and pleasant. It’s called Southern California. I will be there for a few weeks, making detailed notes about the weather for you – at your expense – but I’m sure I’ll bring back a positive report and you can consider moving there yourself so the rest of us won’t have to hear you whine and moan. I’m just sayin’.