Oh, the best laid plans of mice and men... . I don't know about the mice, but this man has had his whole week's plan skewed by the storm last night in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Sigh...
My wife and I were with friends and colleague to make a visit to a local church. No one showed. We stood in the parking lot visiting and waiting. We saw the storm approaching. The sound of a mighty rushing wind was immediate and the results obvious: Instantly a wooden sign in the lot was picked up and hurled across the hood of a westbound driver in a small BMW. Barely missed the auto and I certain all the driver saw was a blip.
The storm was to the north (where we live). We stayed south, but we spoke with a neighbor. When we returned home, the electricity was out, a huge tree limb (no trees like this one in our neighborhood) was at our driveway. We were fortunate. No fences down nor shingles off the roof.
So this a.m. we again drove into Colleyville for breakfast. A lady (recognized as the wife of a local physician) was commenting to two girls of high school age: "We've been without electricity for 14 hours. This is ridiculous." My thought was, "Lady, why don't you go get a chain saw and help these guys clear the power lines of the downed trees and limbs?"
Another conversation was overheard at our favorite coffee shop. Not quite the same tone, but a lot of frustration expressed.
Now get the picture: Two teen-age girls with fashionable rubber boots, shorts, one a Paris Hilton hair style, etc., etc. and a lady driving a high dollar vehicle, well dressed (casually), sitting in a restaurant along with my wife and myself, eating breakfast and complaining about no electricity.
All of us had a vehicle with gasoline. We could travel. All of us had the money to eat in a nice place. We were not hungry. All of us have optional places to go temporarily for air conditioning. We did not have to be uncomfortably hot. We have beds. Most of our homes did not experience great damage and if they did, we do have some insurance.
But in this world, local world in which we live, there are people without air conditioning. There are people who cannot go to a restaurant to eat. Some with housing insufficient to withstand storms lose their homes, clothing, etc.
My wife volunteered at our church's new ministry, 6stones. Many people in the Mid-cities area of DFW have physical need and many people are sensitive to those people and their needs.
But too many others reveal attitudes where"entitlement" and cool" seem to be prized above all else. If a small inconvenience of an electrical outage brings out this kind of attitude, then what happens if real tragedy strikes? And can we suffer in community as did our parents and grandparents during the Great Depression and WW2?
I have a friend who recently lost her 8 year old grandson to a brain tumor. I suspect they would gladly burn a lamp if they could exchange electricity for that child's life. Others have lost jobs, retirement benefits, etc., etc., etc.
Do we have the collective character to suffer together, if necessary? Or are we so fractured that many only look out for themselves?
As others have said, "I am no prophet, nor the son of a prophet, and I work for a non-profit." But here goes. The face of the globe is changing. The face of this nation is changing. I do believe we are in the end times. This does not require fear on the part of believers. Rather, it will call for every ounce of true Christian character we possess. It is time to seek the Lord and reflect His image in all we do and say.
YES - I am back to blogging! :)
