Within the first month of arriving in Las Vegas, the temperatures climbed to almost 100 degrees and by July we were in a series of 100+ days where it never got below 90 at night. It was almost impossible to stay cool, cars felt like ovens, and the electric bill was a not so pleasant surprise. As much as we thought we were prepared for the heat, we quickly realized that we were not. Whenever we went out in public and we heard someone complain about the heat, it was always met with the same response: “At least it’s a dry heat.” I really think people say that as a way to ignore the truth – 110 is hot whether or not there is humidity. The thing that we learned very quickly was that we needed to adjust to our new environment. If I wanted to do yard work I had to go out at 7:00 am. If we parked our car in an open parking lot, it had to have a sunshade in it and the windows cracked. If we wanted to walk to our pool, we had better have sandals on. If we wanted to sleep comfortably and not pay $1000 in an electric bill we had better turn on the ceiling fan and make sure the curtains were closed all day. We had to adjust to our new environment to be successful.
What we have learned in this first year is that we have to adjust to our environment. My tendency is to enjoy and settle for what is comfortable and normal. I like things the way I am used to them. I know what I am doing in ministry and I have experience in what is successful. I have a style that I am comfortable and confident with. And I have learned if I am more committed to my way and preferences over the people that I am focused on investing in and reaching then I am going to probably be as successful as trying to replace my flooring on a 110 degree day (which I did try and it did not end well). If we want to make a difference in people’s lives we must adjust to the environment we find ourselves in. We have to be willing to be humble, set down our preferences and adjust to our environment. This is way easier said than done. It is so hard to adjust to our environment, especially if we feel we deserve to be heard, to be respected.
Ways I have learned to adjust to my environment:
- Listen well to people around me — the first months of living in Las Vegas, I spent listening to people
- Ask questions – when I didn’t understand something or why someone did something I asked questions so that I could understand better
- Be curious – I became curious about everything, including the things I thought I already knew the answer to
- Trust God when I didn’t feel heard or respected and rest in the Truth that God is enough
- Remember that loving others means caring for others over my preferences
As I begin my second year in Las Vegas I have enjoyed adjusting to the new environment and am still annoyed with people who say, “At least it is a dry heat!”