Don't Sweat It

I admit that I love the reality TV series that focus on outdoor survival. My favorite is the original Survivorman with Les Stroud that has spawned numerous other shows: Man vs. Wild, Dual Survivor, and Man, Woman, Wild, all from the Discovery Channel. They must trigger my primal instinct to survive against whatever environment, terrain and nature throws at you, to find shelter, stay warm or cool, make a fire, hunt & gather something to eat, and always, always find suitable drinking water. One major survival skill that is repeated often is, when exposed to the elements, never sweat.

Our family has branded this one critical piece of information into our primal survival skill set, the one-liner from Survivorman, “never sweat, it can kill you”. In each episode, Les Stroud will make at least one, if not many, statements regarding sweat. In being exposed, dying of hypothermia, heat exhaustion or dehydration in all terrains: mountain glaciers, central American jungles, or high-desert plateaus. We never knew how dangerous and critical the issue of sweat was to our survival, but now we share our wisdom throughout our daily activities. “Dad, I am sweating, I need to take a break from mowing the lawn”, or while walking through the mall, “Dad, I feel some sweat forming, we need to stop and rehydrate…hey look, Jamba Juice”. Now when we take a day hike through the Mt. Hood National Forrest we bring along a pack mule carrying gallons of water and extra dry clothes…just in case we sweat.

I think this survival tip is a good reminder for us as Shepherds to survive in ministry. That just as sweat is the body’s reaction to overexertion and overheating, so we find ourselves often with mental, emotional, relational, physical and spiritual overexertion and overheating…and we sweat. The signs of sweat might be physical and mental lethargy, unmotivated work, feeling negative, irritable and critical, unhealthy physical habits of overeating and lack of exercise, isolation from family and friends, a lack of passion in our call and zeal in our service to Christ. The dangerous outcome of exposure to the elements without heading the sweat warnings are despondency, depression, vulnerability to temptation, outburst of anger, bitterness, and even laying down the Shepherd’s staff and walking away. Pay attention when you sweat.

When we recognize the sweat forming rings under our arms, or pools down our back, and we need to wipe our foreheads often, it is a sign we need to stop, rest, rehydrate and put on some dry clothes. We do that by taking our vacation time, getting away, or prioritizing recharge time with family, at the golf course, fishing, whatever. It is difficult to find those times to pay attention to our needs when the needs of Shepherding are constant, demanding, and ever increasing. Shepherding is hard work and hard work produces a lot of sweat, but our key to survival is to “never sweat, it will kill you.”

How do you find weekly times to stop, rest and recharge?  What activities do you enjoy that strengthen and encourage you?