September 14th, 2008 Tim
(Nancy) Let me preface this by saying that I apologize in advance to anyone who is still without electric power (or phone or water) due to Hurricane Ike (’course if you’re reading this on your iPhone I have limited sympathy :)) or if you have sustained damage to your property. Also, this is a somewhat shameless attempt to solicit blog comments of your Ike stories.
In anticipation of Hurricane Ike, our family and many others spent Friday, September 12th, at home preparing: food, batteries, flashlights, charging up the cell phones and DS’s. We scrubbed bathtubs and filled them with water. We moved potential missiles out of the yards (and, in our case, the quail coop Tim made on Labor Day weekend was transported from the backyard to the garage. In keeping with the neighborliness of the day, the mailman volunteered to help Tim lift it high enough for the roof to clear the fence, while going through the gate). I cleared out an interior “safe room” (the master closet) and we supplied it with sleeping bags, books, radios and flashlights. The laundry was done, the house was vacuumed. Tim bottled a batch of beer he’d been brewing. [In his defense, he had already filled the cars with gas and bought food, water, ice and other supplies.] Even the kids did their part. We had a common goal: get ready for Ike. Rita we ran from, Ike we would meet.
When the power went out Friday night I was upstairs in the office paying bills on the computer. Our son William was in the living room watching the storm coverage on TV, our daughter Deanna was in her room playing with the dog and Tim was in our room trying to sleep. We soon found each other and stayed together for much of the next 21 hours.
During our power outage we talked about and lived the challenges involved in having no electricity, we slept a little, we listened to the radio a little, we read a little, we prayed a little… Saturday morning Tim used the gas stove to scramble the eggs in the fridge and even our vegan daughter ate them without complaint. We talked with our neighbors more than usual. In general we had fewer arguments than usual. On Saturday afternoon William played with friends and they had to be creative since video games were no longer an option. They actually played ball and other outdoor games. Tim and the kids were a little cranky and sweaty from the heat (I suppose it’s my hypothyroidism that gives me a thermostat of freezing for anything below 75 degrees and comfortable at 80-85 degrees). I was glad the TV was not on constantly and I got some reading done. There was no guilt over chores not done when those chores required electricity.
When the power came on Saturday night the four of us were playing the game of Life by flashlight. I had not looked forward to the possibility of weeks without power: would the kids drink powdered milk?, could we stand a 95 degree day?, would a laundromat be open in a week?, what if the schools opened before our power came back on?… But, I was actually surprised (and initially a little disappointed) that it only lasted 21 hours.
Fridges and dishwashers are wonderful things. Air conditioning is a wonderful thing. TV is a wonderful thing. Soon after my disappointment of last night I realized that I would be able to run the dishwasher and would have brewed rather than instant coffee this morning. I realized I would get to see video of the storm coverage rather than simply listen on radio. But when the power first came on and the family suddenly spread from being together around the kitchen table to the TV, fish tank, computer, etc., it was a little saddening. (We later returned and finished our game.)
One of my favorite books is Hatchet by Gary Paulson [Yes I know it’s for Jr. High boys and that his later stuff has a lot of weird paganism.] Spoiler: after the hero finds the survival pack he realizes “it was a strange feeling, holding the rifle. It somehow removed him from everything around him. Without the rifle he had to fit in, to be part of it all, to understand it and use it-the woods, all of it. With the rifle, suddenly, he didn’t have to know; did not have to be afraid or understand… The rifle changed him, the minute he picked it up, and he wasn’t sure he liked the change very much.” If we’re not careful technology can remove us from dependence on each other and God.
The middle part of Luke 12:48 reads (in the New King James Version) “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” That verse used to terrify me. I knew I had been given much, I knew I was not faithful in much. But that was before I really saw the cross of Christ. That was before I latched onto my now favorite verse of Galatians 2:21 (NIV) “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Most of us in Katy have been given much, materially (homes with A/C and TV), politically (freedom of education, speech and worship), safety, health, families, etc. But our real treasure is Christ. We have been given much, let us be grateful and faithful, whether our lesser treasures remain (and are temptations to draw us away from Christ and each other) or are taken away (and is a temptation to become bitter at God).
The CrossPoint service this morning reminded us: Blessed be the name of the Lord, both “in the land that is plentiful” and “in the desert place”. No matter what, worship.
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