BE PREPARED

In the upper Midwest, it’s going to be a very cold week. In some areas, the temperature during the day won’t even get above zero degrees Fahrenheit (that’s -17 Celsius)! My job requires me to work outside on occasion, especially when it’s extremely hot and cold, as more stuff tends to break under those conditions. Working outside and being an outdoor enthusiast, I’ve purchased the correct gear and clothing needed to do my job effectively and still enjoy the outdoors. That reminds me of a time when I was learning what it meant to be prepared.

As a boy, my father encouraged me to join cub scouts; in fact, he encouraged all us boys to join. As a parent now, looking back it made a lot of sense - four boys within 5 years meant a lot of energy, and energy meant things were going to get broken. Scouts gave us the opportunity to get out of the house, go camping, and learn many life skills. Around middle school age, one would transition from cub scouts to boy scouts.

Boy scouts was more intense with harder life skill challenges, longer hikes, and more extreme camping situations. On one occasion, we went on a winter camping trip. I don’t remember the exact temperature, but it was cold! The year was close to 1982 and the camping gear was not as advanced as it is now. The scout leaders (my dad being one of them) gave us advice on ways to try and stay warm. Some of the options were; put newspaper on the ground first, foam pads for comfort, furniture pads for a layer of warmth, a crummy sleeping bag (they didn’t recommend a crummy one, but that’s what I had), and blankets from home for more warmth. It was quite a sight as we set up camp. There were many different colors and styles of little one man tents; newspaper and plastic underneath them, with blankets and sleeping bags spilling out the half-zippered doors. After dinner, we went for a short hike to enjoy the winter wonderland, and then eagerly retreated to our tents for the night.

There was chatter among us scouts as we settled into our personal tents. It didn’t take long and the temperature started to drop, and so did the eagerness about winter camping. The chatter changed from talking through our teeth and then shivering started to overtake our bodies. I made it a few hours and then couldn’t take anymore. I grabbed my sleeping bag, with my head hung low, and headed to the cabin where the adult leaders were sleeping. To my relief, there was several other scouts already in there.
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When morning arrived, there was one scout left in his tent. We went out to check on him, thinking we would be scraping his frozen body from the ground, but he was fast asleep and looked very comfortable. After looking at his gear, he had a state of the art sleeping bag and ground coverings to keep him warm. It was obvious he was better prepared and therefore reaped the rewards of his efforts.

Mark 13: 33-35 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task. And tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.