Update #181 - Heat

“Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45

Carmel, CA

In July I went river rafting in the California Sierra Nevada’s just east of the San Joaquin Valley. This was my first time to the area – and it was H-O-T. Not just, “Oh, I am uncomfortable in this heat” hot, it was 106 at one point!  Thank God for no humidity.

I am a reluctant camper at best, but due to the lure of river rafting the Kern, my own tent and a queen sized air mattress I conceded.  I chose to ignore the ants, the scary duct taped bathroom, and tune-out Cheech and Chong partying next door until o’dark thirty in the morning (they were really loud – ear plugs only dulled the din) and made the best of it.

On Sunday evening I returned to Orange County and after washing three days of river, dirt and grime off of my body (i.e. most of the “tan” I had accumulated) I spent time reorganizing my stuff; filthy in one pile, semi-gross in another, and despicable in a third.

Everything was delightfully warm – like just taken out of an extra hot dryer.  This was okay for the clothes but my facial cleanser had gone from viscous to fine liquid (with bubbles), my mascara became gummy in texture (no, I didn’t actually use it), my hand sanitizer bottle had morphed in shape and the liquid had clouded over, and my soap had taken on the contour of its container.  Somethings melted, somethings condensed, some became entirely separate from their container and some became part of it; it was like a weird chemistry lab experiment had taken place in my toiletry bag!

As I stood there evaluating my unplanned research project (probably a little longer than I should have because I was so tired my thoughts were going in circles, back and forth, and then around again) a thought popped into my head “Heat does weird things to stuff.  What does it do to me?”

I stood there and thought about it - put me in full sun, no shade, no water, I get cranky. Place me in the unrelenting glare, on black tarmac without relief and I turn into someone other than myself – grace goes bye-bye and ornery shows up.  My appetite disappears, nausea takes up residence and a colossal headache clouds my rational thought processes. I am usually pleasant, but prolonged sun exposure bring about strange, bizarre, irritable, cantankerous, odd behavior (give me shade and they go away… quite simple actually).

Still staring at the experiment taking place in my toiletry bag my thoughts turned to the spiritual implications of heat on our lives… the trials, ordeals, hardship, pain, suffering, misery, burdens, and distress we encounter.  How do I react to those?  Do I stay pleasant? Does grace abound or does ornery occur?  How long until I need the equivalent of shade and relief?  What sorts of things are changing and morphing on the inside?  Do I melt or condense? Am I contouring to the shape of my environment or do I separate from it? Do I ooze all over others or am I self-contained?

Swirling, confusing, overlapping thoughts tumbled through my brain, wet hair in my face, towel wrapped around my body.  I shivered from the breeze and shook my head to clear the maelstrom of random one-liners.

How does “heat” change you? Is it for the better or for the worse? Do hot environments change you for the good or are you abysmal to be around? What is your attitude during a prolonged heat exposure? How long does grace abound before ornery occurs?

Updates:
Work – Training plugs on… remote on Monday night, in-person on Wednesday, and a Saturday once a month.
Personal – It is hot here! Thank God for fans, but it is really warm at night – so I am not sleeping the greatest.  I know the “wave” will pass, but supernatural sleep would be appreciated!

Requests:
Work – With so many trainees, we need help!  Hospitality, room set up, dessert bringers, meal makers, trash taker-outers, coaches, intercessors… if you have time on a Monday, Wednesday or training Saturday, LET US KNOW!  Please pray for the team dedicated to making the trainings run each and every week – they are amazing, but it is a lot of work!
Personal – For the rest of the Johnson’s vacation, for my weekend in Marin visiting friends and for the upcoming craziness autumn brings; travel is back on the schedule again!