The Son of Ida

We've been hit by a persistent coastal storm, spun off from Hurricane Ida, that has brought two straight days of non-stop rain and winds. Coming from drought-stricken south Texas, we have thus far been very welcoming of rain that has come our way, but this recent batch of grumpy weather has seemed to wear out its welcome. Sure, it's an inconvenience to have your umbrella give up on you in the middle of a downpour while walking to class. And it's no fun when you have to continually coax your dog to go outside, even though she clearly needs to go to the bathroom, because she hates to be out in the cold rain. But the main reason for our growing impatience for the rain to end is the development of several leaks along the side of our apartment, which we discovered today stem from poor sealing around the windows of the apartment above us. As a result, our furniture has been moved away from the leaky side of the house and crammed together along the opposite wall, we've got a hodgepodge of Tupperware containers and plastic tubs scattered around the floor to catch dripping water from the ceiling, and we're continually wiping off the wet walls, windowsills, and flooring, replacing soaked towels that we've placed along the wall with fresh ones.

I find it amazing how quickly my security in a simple provision I take for granted - the roof over my head - can turn into a discouraging crisis. It's also amazing to me how quickly I can be tempted to fall into despair or grumbling just because a little water is trickling into my living space...after all, I'm a fan of camping and retreating into the elements, right? Perhaps it's moments when I feel like situations are out of my control, including a leaky ceiling I can't fix, that I can learn and reflect upon how I'm living and where my priorities should be.

• How often do I express gratitude for the simple blessings that have been given to me daily, or do I continually overlook them and take them for granted? A roof over my head...regular meals...warm clothes...good health...relative freedom and safety...the love of my family...?
• How often do I consider the needs of those who do not have these same blessings that I enjoy? Do I think of ways to help them? And am I a good steward of these provisions and daily necessities that have been given to me?
• When these blessings are taken away from me (even for just a short time), what is my first reaction? Do I start to stress out because matters aren't in my control? Do I despair and lose sight of all of the blessings that have been granted to me? Or do I trust in the faithful provisions of a sovereign God and rest patiently and gratefully in His care?

Sadly, in many of these questions my honest answers are less than exemplary. But I suppose this gives me pause, recognizing the opportunity for me to change my attitude and to be more considerate about what's been given to me that I constantly take for granted. For now, I'll continue to work on being thankful for the blessings I have, even the rain that waters the ground and makes all good things grow. And I'll try to wait patiently for the rain to end sometime in the next couple of days...when it does, I'll try to remember to be particularly thankful for the sunshine that will emerge.