I have one sister and for 35 plus years she has lived in Duniden, New Zealand. She is my only close relative still alive. Our parents passed away many years ago and our older brother passed away about six years ago.

I have not seen her in about 20 years. We talk on the phone about three times a year and we email frequently. Lisa and I have never been to New Zealand.

My understanding about the weather there is that it is milder than ours. What I mean by that is their winters are not as cold and harsh as ours can be. And their summers are not as hot and humid as ours are.

Several years ago, during the month of June, my sister called to wish Lisa a happy birthday. It was one of those stifling summer days. When I answered the phone, I heard my sister say, “Hey, Randy Ray, I guess you are enjoying some lovely Louisiana weather.”

My reply, “Yeah, we are having a 90/90 day. Temperature above 90 degrees and the humidity is about 90 percent.” She said, “You are miserable then.” Those of us who live in the deep south know how brutal the summers are around here.

I remember years ago, my folks had a fishing camp on Lake D’Arbonne in Farmerville and in late June they had some friends come down from North Carolina to fish. It was one of those 90/90 weeks. They were not able to go outside for more than a few minutes. Said they couldn’t breathe.

We are in mid-May and the temperature and humidity has begun to increase. The last couple of days I have had a little project that has caused me to be in and out of the house a good bit. As the day wore on, the hotter I got. My clothes became wet with sweat. It was harder to breath and I tired more easily.

But I did not quit. For those of us who have grown up here in the south know that there is no escaping it, so you just lower your head, drop to a slower gear and keep plugging along until you finish what you must do.

This afternoon as I took a break, I found a shady spot and was sitting down drinking a bottle of cold water thinking how much I hated the hot, humid summers when I thought about how it represented life.

Sometimes life can get hard, hot and oppressive and we want to give up, but we just have to lower our head, drop to a slower gear and keep plugging along. But there is one thing that helps us to endure this hostile thing we call life. It is when someone helps us plug along.

For the last 42 years I have had a God-given helpmate that has stood my side and helped me endure the harshness of life. She has been by my side and encouraged me many times when I wanted to give up.

The best help is the help the Lord gives during the harsh times. When life seems as if I can’t go on, the truth is, I can’t go on. I am reminded of the truth found in Matthew 11:2830, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

So, when the hot, humid and harsh life gets you down, remember just get in the yoke with the Lord and the two of you can pull the load.