Unshackled Moments ~ June 23, 2017 ~ Handling The Heat

Summer is here. Officially. I live in Texas, so summer came early and will stay late. That's just how it usually goes. It begins to get hot in April or early May and doesn't start cooling off until sometime in October. But Texas and the South aren't the only places where the heat can be unbearable. Even New York and Canada have heat waves, and there are plenty of places in the West and across the globe where people are far too aware that summer can be fun, but it can also kill you.

I've hear many a joke at the expense of the siesta, but the Mexicans had the right idea, especially in the pre-air conditioning era. The last job I had incorporated their wisdom so that my boss, who was in his 70s, could put in a full day's work without having a heat stroke. It helped survive too, although it made for long days, as we would start at just after sunrise when the day was somewhat cool, work until 11 or 12 when the temperature began to shoot higher, then knock off until around 4 or 5, and finally return to the fields until darkness approached. It took 12 or more hours a day to get eight hours of work done, but it was much safer and easier on the body.

Hundreds of people die every year because of the heat, and yet, we still love to run and play in the sun. Sure, you can forget selling a car that doesn't have a working air conditioner. No one wants that. But there is something about Summer that screams let's play to many, especially the young who are enjoying a break from school, and there are, of course, many who have to work outdoors. I myself have been doing some outdoor work, and I anticipate more days working outside this summer as I help clear some land for my parents and finish building the larger chicken coop for my wife. I will be careful though, because I simply can't physically take the heat the way I used to be able to.

Summer heat is kind of like those danger zones, those places and situations those of us in recovery tend to recoil from. Just as the same summer heat that I used to play sports in, lay in covered in oil and cooking myself, etc. now makes me want to stay inside and thank God for AC, there are places and situations, the heat of temptation I avoid and simply won't go without a good reason. But that doesn't mean I can't,

I remember when I first got sober not being able to go to a Mexican restaurant, because the temptation for a margarita felt overwhelming. Now, however I can eat where ever I want or need to, and don't have a problem with someone sitting at my table with a drink. But when other recovering alcoholics told me that there would be a time that I could, if I had a reason, go to any of those places that are so very dangerous and triggering to someone who has yet to be freed of the obsession, I couldn't even imagine it being safe or a possibility. Still though, they warned against just being there for the sake of being there and flirting with and romanticizing the old life. One common saying along those lines is if you hang out in the barber shop long enough, you'll get your hair cut.

If you have said yes to the call to deny self, pick up your cross and follow Jesus, you have left your old life behind for a new and better life worth living in relationship with Jesus. But that doesn't mean there aren't times you can't or don't have to go back to the areas you used to live in, and it doesn't mean that you won't sometimes be tempted to romanticize the days of fun in the sun. It isn't right, but it's human nature when things get tough, we can overlook the hardships and misery of the past and enhance the memories of pleasure and comfort. I know there are times when I can ignore the hell I went through, the misery, trouble and near death experiences and remember how great it felt to get high, and in the Bible we see the Israelites do the same thing as they look longingly back to Egypt and the days of their slavery.

But while looking back like that is foolish and dangerous, there are times when we need to be in the heat. Look at the disciples who were called to drop their nets, leave their boats and follow Jesus. They did it, and then they spent a lot of time over the next three years, walking through the same areas of Galilee doing a different kind of fishing. Every day the same seas were nearby. They even spent a lot of time in boats. But they didn't go back to their old life just because they were in the same areas.

So, here are some ways to help you stay safe in the summer heat, and in the world that you are now in but not of.

• Stay indoors in air conditioning as much as possible. Of course that's the solution that makes the most sense and is the easiest way to cope with the heat. Stay out of it. And the same is true of the heat of temptation and paces and situations where there is much more evidence of the fall than the light of Jesus. I strongly doubt, for example, that I will ever return to New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
• If you do go outside, stay in the shade as much as possible and avoid the hottest times of the day, if you can. Stay out of it if you can, but if you don't or can't... It may seem silly to tell people to avoid something and then continue with tips for those who don't follow that tip, but it's not foolish at all. When it comes to summer, just because you should take precaution doesn't mean you should hide away for three months (or six if you live in Texas) out of the year. There are also places you can go, if you're spiritually fit, that might seem unlikely otherwise.  But the spiritual equivalent of shade and staying out of the hottest part of the day is also true when it comes to walking into areas of temptation. I can go to a bar to eat, if that's where someone wants to go. Some bar and grills have amazing food, but I'm not going to go hang out at the club late at night by myself just for fun and use good burgers as an excuse to be there. I have no problem with going to the beach with my wife and family and enjoying some time in the sun, but I am not going to go to a strip club. The amount of covering may even be similar, but the atmosphere is quite different. You get the idea. You don't have to run scared and hide from the world or the summer, but show some wisdom and understanding.
• Wear sunscreen outside along with loose-fitting, light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible. This is the summer equivalent of being covered spiritually. Protect your skin and wear appropriate clothing for the summer, and when you leave the safety of your home cover and clothe yourself spiritually also. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11 - see vs. 10-18 for entire list). 
• Drink water regularly even if you are not thirsty. Limit alcohol and sugary drinks which speeds dehydration. Jesus is the Living Water, and He is also the Living Word, the Word Made Flesh. We need to spend time with Jesus and in the Word of God regularly, regardless of whether or not we feel thirsty. Notice it didn't say never drink alcohol or sugary drinks. It said limit them. For you non-alcoholics anyway, there's nothing that says you can't partake, but limit those things that make you more susceptible to the heat and hinder the body's ability to cool itself properly. The same is true of the world. We don't have to eliminate everything that doesn't have a "Christian" label, whether that is books, movies and TV, music or whatever. It doesn't mean we can't enjoy anything that isn't straight up spiritually oriented. But we should limit those  things that can cause dehydration and lower our resistance to temptation,
• Never leave children or pets alone in the car. Keep an eye on those you may be an influence on and those you are responsible for. Don't put them in place of danger and vulnerability. Don't let your spiritual fitness and freedom kill your brothers and sisters. Just because you can go the bar to hear a band and do some two-stepping with your spouse doesn't mean that  your friend who's been sober for two minutes can.
• Avoid exertion during the hottest part of the day. Don't over do it.  This is something to take to heart whether it's spending time working or playing in the summer sun or working and playing in the fallen world.
• Take a cool shower or bath. If you get out there, whether because you have to or because you just didn't realize that you were playing in the sun too long, and get too hot, cool off. Bathe yourself in the coolness of the Living Water. Spend time with Jesus and let Him cool you down and restore you and cleanse you.

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