Having survived yet another Houston summer, each passing one seems more brutal than the last. Whether that's just my age showing or the ozone levels deteriorating, 90- to 100-degree weather is difficult to endure over a long period of time.

One of the greatest defenses a body has against this kind of heat is water, which makes sense, considering the human body is two thirds water. Without constant hydrating, the body eventually begins to suffer.

Dehydration can manifest itself in many different ways on both the inside and outside of our bodies. Once the body is severely dehydrated, it takes almost twice as long to hydrate and regain health and vigor. Obviously, the best method would be to stay well hydrated, so that you're in a proactive mode, and not in a constant state of recovery.

While walking the other day, I started thinking about what is required to stay physically and spiritually hydrated, and how they parallel one another. One obvious comparison would be that we cannot live without water, nor can we live without God. Just as we drink water to hydrate our bodies, we must drink in God's Word to hydrate our spirit. Sitting in a pool of water will not hydrate us; it must become a part of us, and restore us from the inside out. Whether we drink it in all at one time, or slowly and steadily throughout the day, it must be done to maintain proper hydration and health.

When we fail to hydrate ourselves, there are obvious symptoms such as drying or peeling skin, cramps, light-headedness, headache and overall lethargy. Our bodies and minds are less responsive. Likewise, if we are not hydrating ourselves spiritually, inward and outward manifestations will begin to take place. Drinking in God's Word on a daily basis and staying close to Him through prayer and meditation allows us to remain spiritually hydrated.

When the body dehydrates, that once-healthy sweat suddenly stops, and heatstroke becomes a very real possibility. When we become spiritually dehydrated, the fruits of the Spirit aren't receiving much-needed nutrients, and we risk the prospect of no longer bearing these fruits.

We also need to avoid things that will dehydrate us. For example, physical dehydrators include salt, caffeine and alcohol.

We need to stay away from spiritual dehydrators as well. Maybe it's a busy schedule that finds us just not having the "time" to hydrate, or maybe it's feelings that engulf us, such as bitterness, anger, discouragement and depression.

Thinking about all of this brought to mind a scripture in the account of Christ and the woman at the well: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13-14).