I usually do not get upset. I get angry when things aren't done right. I get aggravated when I'm not heard. But to be upset or worried or anxious is not a typical reaction for me. Today I am.There are wildfires burning all around us within our county. The sky is filled with smoke. My home is filled with a haze. Our hearts are heavy and our throats burn.
I wonder if I should follow the advice of "evacuation preparedness" and have our shoes by the door, our water hoses connected, and valuables like photo albums in a central location.
Speaking of valuables...my wedding ring is missing.
I took off my jewelry yesterday in order to paint the headboard that Philip built. I laid my ring on the kitchen counter. I saw it there as I fixed dinner. Then Mari began to cry and mutter something about having "looked everywhere!!" She had sneaked it and worn it as a "lovely toe ring" until it had just "dist-appeared".
During the supper craze, we dismantled the sofa where she had been sitting. You're probably thinking, "we take our cushions off and vacuum weekly". No. We UN-upholstered the sofa. We heard clinks from within and figured the ring was worth a few sofas, so tear apart, we did. Forty-seven crayons, a dozen hair clips, six pump pencils and 2 cheerios later.... no ring.
It's amazing to me how quickly it was gone. In Philip's prayer last night, he said, "Lord, it's not the end of the world, and we can certainly live without it, but we would REALLY like to have it back."
No. It's not the end of the world. (Though drought and fire, famine and flood might indicate otherwise) The only thing I cannot live without is God's Presence. That sounds so sunday-schoolish, but I feel it deeply this morning. Take my comfort, my home, my food, my life. Give me Jesus.
From a Kingdom perspective, I'm thinking of "evacuation preparedness"?
I'm ready to go at a moment's notice.
"There fore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Mark 13:33)
I am equipped with every defense.
"So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled." (1 Thes 5:6)
Anything of real worth is in a central [eternal] location.
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:20-21)
But instead of sending me away from my "home"...this evacuation takes me HOME.
