Weather, prayer and gratitude...

The rain has finally moved on. It was wonderful - we needed it so much after such a dry summer. You know, it's kind of sad hearing people complain some about the rain, when we've been SO desperate for it. The crops have suffered, the farmers have been anxious and stressed, we've probably stressed our local water supply by all the sprinkler systems that watered every week regardless of the drought. Where is the gratitude? I have wondered if the Lord allows these weather deviations to remind us to be thankful, to have hearts of gratitude, to remind us to pray. It has certainly worked in my own life. It has also taught me to be more aware of waste in my every day life. Like water running down the rain while I brush my teeth. Amazing. We are so blessed here to have ample running water, but we waste so much of it. While we were visiting our families up north,we were out for breakfast one day, and on the way back home, my folks drove us up into a small meadow behind an abandoned house. The view was awesome. There was also an artesian well, running continuously into an old trough. It runs night and day, soaking back into the ground. I could see trails through the long grass where the deer and perhaps bear had made regular trips to drink. It was neat, but I also thought about all that wasted water. I'm sure at some point the land will sell, and someone will take advantage of all that water. During the drought this summer, while conserving water and thinking of creative ways to save it, I also pondered the future. I have had the increasing feeling that life as we know it may not always keep on the way it has. We haven't had a war on our own soil for many years, at least not in my lifetime. Many countries seem to never be free of it. Their lives are in a constant state of flux, of stress and despair. Their main concern is survival. We have been blessed. But will we always? In my opinion, no matter how much we would like to think that life will always be this way, I don't believe it will. Perhaps we even live on borrowed time. Well, I could go on about this, but I'm beginning to think this needs to be another post, so I will leave off with this thought. Do you think that the Lord uses these things, like droughts, floods, etc., to remind us that life can change in a flash, that we need to be vigilant? That perhaps we need to brush up on our prayer life. To take stock of our daily habits. Prioritize, consider our way of life, our daily needs and necessities, where we live and what impact a disaster, large or small, man-made or natural, would have on our daily lives, and what we should do to prepare for such an event, both naturally and spiritually? I'm sure some of you have. For me, I am taking a hard look at my life, my purpose, my habits. I can see a definite need for change. How about you?