Sue's Scribblings

Yesterday the wind woke me up, howling like my cat howls when she is in a knock-down, drag-out cat fight. Unrelenting, scary, unstoppable wind.The weatherman had said it would be raining and windy, I did not believe him, he was right.

Just as I rolled over to check the time, for one never gets out of bed without checking the time, I heard the wind chimes. I never knew they played actual songs, but this one was definitely slamming out a hit. As I write that last sentence I am distracted by the thought...why do people check the time before getting out of bed? Am I less likely to leave the warmth of my cozy covers if I know it is before , say, 6:00 am ? or am I going to force myself to fall back asleep if the clock shows me an early face? Now I wonder if other people even do check the time before rising or is it just me? See how my mind works and why there might be concern for my sanity?

Back to my other thoughts.

I arose early , decided to take a quick shower in order to save myself the energy required to come back upstairs and shower after putting the coffee on. I am a proud member of the lazy midlife women club forming soon in a beauty salon near you. Want to join?

On to the story I intend to tell. I put on the coffee, chased the cat out into the wind so she could howl simultaneously with it, and then read my devotional. It was the latest issue of Tabletalk and I was refreshed by thinking through the issues related to the Covenant of Redemption.I know, how annoying it is to have someone so shallow and so deep in the same person, but there it is. I love theology and all of God's intricate ideas and thoughts and discovering who He is in His revelations of Himself. I also play a stupid game called Farmville on Facebook and am annoyed that there is no point in it.

I digress.

As I finished my devotions, still in deep thought , there was a loud bang and every light in the house went out in an instant, the wind sounded increasingly scary, and the cat practically jumping through the window and into the house.

Thankfully, my coffee was percolated nicely(have I ever mentioned how I enjoy percolated coffee so much more than coffee from a drip pot? I didn't think so).
The lights, television, radio and computer were all nonfunctional. I separated those things on purpose because I tried them all. Some of us are a bit slower than the average electricity consumers.

I sat in the nearest chair and seriously thought, " well, guess I can't go to work".
I know, silly me, one must go to work no matter the conditions of the comforts from within the home environment. Wishful thinking.

I was quite thankful to have taken my shower earlier, thereby reinforcing within me the thought that laziness is a good character quality, and I had a solid two cups of coffee freshly made, making me feel pretty comfortable, so my life was fine. The house was warm and even if the electricity didn't come on for a few hours, I figured that it was like an adventure instead of a disaster.

My prayers began for all of the many things laying heavily on my mind and in my heart. What else can one do in the complete dark with no computer to play on, no lights to get dressed with and no television to check for weather updates on? I even tried to turn on a CD. Didn't work.

I love my family and friends deeply and feel very much inadequate and negligent as a friend unless I mention their needs and problems before the ONLY One who can help them ...my God. So for me this was Prime Time Live, with God. Nice, quiet, warm, cozy, and altogether sobering.

Now, here is where it got interesting.

The World View I maintain, that God is Sovereign and Loving, often creeps in when all else is fine and dandy, orderly even.

The small, impoverished country of Haiti had an earthquake just a few short days earlier. The very thought of this monstrous disaster has kept me saddened and wanting to do something, anything, even thinking I should adopt some of the children now orphaned. There are thousands of children, men and women, who no longer have homes, belongings, warmth,shelter, food, medical facilities to care for them. I am shamed. I have so much.I am humbled. I complain about no lights. I am shocked at the depth of their needs. God supplies all of my needs, I have none.

Here I sit, cup of hot coffee in hand, winds howling savagely outside,warm fragrances of my candles wafting around the room, freshly showered body preparing to choose a work outfit, and the impact of making myself THINK about the Haitian people is overwhelming to me.

Oh God, forgive my selfish heart and desires. Oh God, help those people who I will never meet or know, with a power that is bigger than the earthquake that tumbled them from their routines and daily lives into chaos and terror. Oh God, they do not deserve the disaster, any more than I deserve the blessings.

I must continue to rest in my God's Sovereignty. They must, as well.

Now according to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations...(Ephesians 3:20)