Fighting the good fight

I boarded the plane, ready to collapse with exhaustion. All the to-do lists were either checked or chucked, the suitcases were packed, the apartment was ready for the next occupants, and now it was time to rest for 12 hours between here and there. I desired nothing more than to get comfortable and rest.

But something kept interrupting me. I'd rouse from a catnap and need to do it. I'd finish a magazine, and it would beckon me again. I'd finish a meal, and be ready for it again.

That something was ~ to respond to my body's cry for moisture!

It is dry on a 12-hour plane ride!

All the moisture is sucked out of my hair, skin, eyes, nose, and lips.

I am continually lathering my hands with lotion, refilling the water in my portable humidifier, putting eyedrops in my eyes, using saline nasal spray, spraying water on my face, applying lip balm, and, of course, drinking water.

Drinking water is basic. The flight attendants foresee that need and come regularly with trays of filled water cups. Everyone needs more water.

Not everyone on a long flight uses lip balm or hand lotion repeatedly. Most passengers survive without eyedrops or spraying their face. I've never seen one use saline nasal spray as I do, and only once have I seen another passenger wearing a personal humidifier.

Each individual is different, and has different needs.

Certain conditions lead to dry air on a plane. Living in a humid climate such as Japan, and without central air, boarding a plane is always a shock to my system, and necessitates the preventive measures listed above, in order to protect my body from drying out.

Going from the Bible belt of East Tennessee to the largest unreached nation in the world can also be a system shock.

We know when in an arid environment to do the basics, such as drinking water and applying lip balm.

Likewise I know the basics of sustaining my spiritual health in a dry environment... read the Bible, pray, and have fellowship.

When on a plane, I do not only drink water, I also need to think of my eyes, skin, etc. They cannot catch moisture from the air; it's just not there. When in Japan long-term, I need more help than "reading my Bible, praying, and having fellowship." I can't just catch a Christian worldview or remnants of one, by osmosis, like I can in the Bible belt.

Everyone is different. My body is particularly susceptible to respiratory illnesses ~ and my first line of defense is to ensure that the insides of my head stay hydrated. Spiritually, too, I have my own weaknesses which are different from yours. My first line of defense against Satan's attack is different from yours.

Praying I keep growing in the basics and also in fighting with faith against my personal vulnerabilities,
~J

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.