“Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, And my calamity laid with it on the scales!” (Job 6:2, NKJV)
Man, oh man. What a crazy week? COVID 19 couldn’t force us stubborn Texans to quarantine, so SNOVID ’21 said, “Hold my beer!” Roads impassable. Loss of power. Frozen water lines. Burst pipes. Gasoline shortage. Empty grocery shelves. Boiling water mandate. No internet. Spotty phone service. Over the years, I have been to several Eastern European countries (Romania twice, Russia twice, Bulgaria once, Yugoslavia once – that tells you how old I am)…and it felt a lot like Denton, Texas this week.
The Hebrew word “calamity” Job uses above comes from the root word “to rush upon.” It came on us that quick – and many of us weren’t prepared. Like Job, we found ourselves complaining.
As I make it my goal to “take thoughts captive” (see 2 Cor. 10:5), I decided to look for silver linings. Here are some thoughts:
- Sure, the power grid didn’t handle this emergency very well…but that’s because we (almost) NEVER have bad weather like this!
- I really began to appreciate truck drivers, linemen, utility workers, first responders, doctors and nurses…folks I often take for granted.
- So I have to boil my water for a couple of days. 1 in 3 around the world have NO access to safe water.
- I CAN survive without the internet, Netflix, and social media. Sure, I had to write my sermon old school…looking things up in BOOKS, but it was an old-time adventure!
- Yes, the store shelves were pretty sparce, but I met people at the store actually smiling, laughing, and talking to each other. I missed that in 2020.
- And maybe we are divided as a nation, but look at us pull together when we need each other. People checked on me. I checked on others. People shared with each other. It felt good!
- Playing board games by candlelight is actually fun.
- Finally, this is Texas. Forecast calls for 64 degrees next week.
So, I’ve decided to quit weighing my grief and calamity, and instead start counting blessings. Hope you will, too!
See you Sunday…We’re open for business!
