Intake 2010 started out for the mountains of Mexico in the usual way. The rough terrain coupled with a car full of children can easily distract the driver (me) of the goal for the day. After some time though we finally arrived to see differing elevations of beautiful mountain ranges. Mr. Frank led us in prayer and we went our separate ways. Being in the Mexican desert for Desert Day was already going to be different than it was in Louisiana this day for two reasons: 1. It wasn't in the pasture of Big Woods. 2. My son, Samuel (age 5), was going with me.
We grabbed our gear and headed towards one of the nearby hills with an edge that seemed to drop-off. As we neared the end of the cliff, we noticed a small creek at the bottom with plenty of room to unpack and splash around if need be. The trip down there was more challenging than I expected, and soon I was carrying my backpack, a giant water jug, our lunches, and Samuel! We were walking on the slippery gravel for quite a while when we finally made it to the bottom safe and sound.
Samuel and I ate our lunches and briefly talked between bites. Finally, I turned to him and said,"OK, son, now listen to me. We are in the desert and we are having Desert Day. That means we are supposed to pretend like we are the only ones out here and we that we have to listen to what the Lord says to us from His Holy Book." Then I grabbed Samuel and placed him in a spot that I thought he could stay out of trouble and not get hurt while I tried hard to meditate on Scripture. I should have known better than to think that a 5yr old can sit still for at least 20 minutes in the great outdoors. This was more like 20 seconds!
The sun was blazing hot that day and maybe that was the real reason the creek was so inviting. I asked Samuel to come over by me and told him that he could sit right by me if he agreed to stay super quiet so that I can concentrate on my readings. I strategically placed him on my left side as we were in the open with the sun beating down on my right. My son was safe in my shadow and I was instantly assured that he would not get sunburned. After all of this time and preparation, I was finally ready to start my Desert Day.
A few minutes passed and I still had Samuel in mind instead of opening my Bible. Is he comfortable? Is he getting sleepy? Why is he SO quiet all of a sudden? Is he thirsty? Is he fully protected from the sun? Then, Samuel squirms a little. He looks up at me with his huge brown eyes and says,"Dad, it's kinda hot in the desert."
Nothing at that site was more beautiful or more true than what this little 5yr old boy said. It taught me a lot about my ways and my walk with the Lord. "But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head." (Psalm 3:3) If we truly believe that the Lord is with us every step of the way, then we must be careful the next time we think about complaining about the little things. Someone much bigger than we is already taking the heat. :)
