PANIC WHILE WAITING FOR THE STORM!

Well, here we are in the MidWest waiting for the next storm. Ice has already hit our area twice today.

I spread chemicals on the driveway only to go inside and see a deluge of rain sweep it all away and in a few minutes a glaze of ice cover our entrance to our home.

Trying to buy the SALT was an eye opener this morning. Talk about putting folks in a panic! I drove to Lowells, Home Depot, and Sams looking for rock salt.

All out.

I heard story after story of people stealing salt out of each other's carts. One man had hit SAMS at 7 this morning to buy 100 bags of salt only to face angry customers trying to get it from him.

Then I experienced my own sad situation. While in Home Depot, I spied generators. I always wanted one thinking often of how handy it would be in storms like this one and the one experienced in 2006. (Yes, I can be a gloom and doom gal pretty easily, too, as you've noticed.)

So I asked for a generator and got the LAST ONE! Yippee! Then I headed to space heaters since I have none.

All gone.

...And as I perused the empty shelves of space heaters, I turned around and found my platform cart with wood and the LAST generator was gone! Someone had stolen it quickly and was in line to check out.

Wow! I had just listened to Adrian Rogers on Bott Radio about what is truly inside of us comes out when we are angry. I stopped and checked myself as I was close to the kind of anger he described as sin.

I let it go.

Just as well.

My husband reminded me that for that price, we could stay in a hotel, assuming there are rooms available of course and assuming we could GET to a hotel.

So I loaded up yet another cart with firewood, schlepped to yet another store for SALT, bought 5 large bags, and inched home.

My neighbor and I greeted one another as we spread salt like chicken feed on the icy driveways.

As soon as we both went into the house, I heard it. Rain, rain, cold, cold rain.
I looked out in dismay as my precious salt washed away.

Ahhhhh...
Why do I share this? This has truly been a day of checking my faith as I listen to reports of doom and gloom, as I experience theft and greed in the stores, and as I see my efforts achieve little to nothing against a series of storms.

God tells me, "Do not worry or be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication make your request known to God, and the peace of Christ that passes all understanding will guard your hears and minds (Phillipians)."

So it is back to the drawing board for me. What am I GENERATING (Pun intended) for God today as I watch the ice form once again on the driveway and as I wait for the foot of snow to begin on top of it? Do I generate peace for my daughter who watches my reactions? Do I generate joy and trust in God?

I pray I do a better job with the rest of this day, don't you?

For His Glory...
Gretchen