Too Much Heat

Yesterday Mark (our almost 19 year old son) came home from working in our landscaping maintenance business around 4:30. He had started at 6:15 in the morning. He was so exhausted. His skin was red, he was talking a little slow, moving slow, and I honestly don't know how he made it home from Tracy pulling a trailer with the big mower on it on the freeway. He had a couple of ooops with the truck and my car yesterday. No damage to the vehicles, thakfully. When he got everything put away and came in, he looked like he really needed a cool shower. He decided he needed food, so I got dinner ready and he ate a little. He said he wanted to throw up, take a shower, and sleep all at the same time. All that and he had a huge headache. That's when I knew he had a mild case of heat stroke.

He had a moderate amount of water during the day, but I could tell he probably didn't put enough sun screen on. I put down some towels on his bed and he fell asleep for about 3 hours. Then he got up and had some pancakes and took a shower and really went to bed. He's doing much better today and has an easier and shorter route.

This reminds me of how if we don't prepare ourselves properly before we go into battle, we can get pretty beat up. Before a soldier goes out on the field, he dons a uniform with all kinds of protection, weapons, etc. But I think it's just as much a mental and spiritual game as well. We need to be prepared on the outside, but the inside preparation is at least of equal importance.

How do we prepare for our battles? Reading God's Holy Word and letting is sink deep into our hearts is one way. Knowing God personally, relying on Him, trusting Him, and seeking Him is another. Going through the trials of life and having the wisdom of experience is another. Having people pray for us and having a support system in place are foundational. Soldiers never go out solo. Prepare yourself for battle daily, you never know when you'll find yourself in a war. Blessings this lovely Tuesday.