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Perspective
Posted by Geoff Baggett in News & Culture
God taught me a big lesson this past week … a lesson on perspective. Something of a reminder of what’s truly important.
Last Monday and Tuesday my area was struck by a devastating ice storm. The area around my home was blessed. Our temps hovered right around the freezing mark, or otherwise the icing would have been much worse. It was bad enough as it was. We thought we had dodged the bullet with regard to loss of power, until everything went dark on Tuesday afternoon. That would be my family’s last spark of electricity for 72 hours.
Suddenly, life became all about the basics. We made it through the first night. With temperatures plummeting outside, we lit several dozen tealight candles in pans on our kitchen table. The sheer volume of candles cranked out a considerable amount of precious heat. But, finally, on Wednesday afternoon, it was just getting too cold. So we packed up our stuff and moved into our church building. The next two nights we slept on the floor of our children’s ministry room. Two other families joined us on Thursday morning. We stayed warm, cooked hot meals, played cards, watched videos, and did our best to pass the time. Meanwhile, our area was under a state of emergency and we were expected to stay off of the roads.
We were blessed on Friday afternoon when our power returned. Unfortunately, we left the other two families behind at the church building. Neither of them have power yet. It could be days. But they were finally able to procure generators and get them tied in to their home electrical systems.
Ten miles to our north there is utter devastation. Nearby counties are 100% in the dark. In some areas, there are so many power poles broken off at the ground that they may have to switch off all power and start from scratch … re-pole and re-string all wire. It may be months before power is restored.
Yesterday during our worship we spent a little time exchanging stories. About half of my people are still in the dark. Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief has a kitchen unit at nearby Cadiz Baptist Church, as well as a shower trailer. They are doing their best to help keep displace people warm, clean, and well-fed. Twelve people from my church, including my daughter, worked at the unit on Sunday morning and several returned today.
I’ve been through storms in my day, but I don’t remember ever seeing anything quite like this in my native area. So much devastation and loss. And it has given me a little change in perspective. Suddenly, the things that I once became all worked up over just don’t seem all that important anymore. Discussions and arguments over conventions, budgets, secondary -vs- tertiary doctrines, and stuff like that just don’t seem very compelling (or even remotely important) when your friends have no heat or running water.
Yep … the events of my past week really have me thinking … and praying.
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I have had similar thoughts after mission trips. Conviction would set in that my time was spent on things that really didn’t matter in the end. However, the world does a pretty good job of dragging us back into the mundane and minutiae. So when the power comes be on guard!
Brother Geoff,
We are praying for you, your church and those in the weather torn parts of Kentucky. We had some folks from close to Louisville stay with a family in our church until power was restored. Storms do bring us to reality…it reminded me of one of my favorite Psalms that Ms. Ruthheart had us second graders quote every morning in public School back in Seminole, Texas….
Psalm 23:1-6 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. (3) He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. (4) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (5) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. (6) Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Let me know if we can help with any other things that you guys need as you get back on your feet and into your homes.
Blessings,
Chris
Geoff, my heart is with you. I shared your “no electricity” experience last May when our community weathered a tornado. A few days without electricity really alters ones perspective. We didn’t have to deal with the cold and so I can’t relate in that aspect. I’m glad that you are safe and sound. May your trial pass quickly…
Geoff,
I went through Hurricane Ike last year and eleven days without electricity, so I can sympathize. But we did not have the bitter cold that you’re having to deal with.
It is interesting how at times like that the important things are food, warm clothes, sterno, lighter, batteries, generators, gas, family, friends helping neighbors, how to cook and how to stay warm. Things we normally don’t care about or take for granted.
Times like this do give great opportunities to minister. Our churches and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers do a great job.
Praying for you guys up north.
David R. Brumbelow
Geoff,
We barely dodged this ice storm as well. We got some ice and snow, but nothing like what hit just 30 miles to our north. It looks like a tornado came thru and knocked all the tops out of trees. In Obion and Lake Counties, there are at least 600 electric line poles down…a lot of them are broken…snapped in half. In W. KY, there are still 425,000 homes that have no elecltricity, and this storm hit last Monday! So, no heat…no way to keep food from spoiling…no water in a lot of places(no electricity, no way to run your well)… no gas for cars and generators….and the list goes on for these folks.
There are some SBC disaster relief teams helping, but thier hands are tied, and they’re unable to help in some areas, because you cant go into an area with chainsaw crews until the electric company gives the ok signal. It could be too dangerous due to electric lines being down.
In Graves Co. KY, 1500 people are living in a high school gym. And, Clinton, KY was hit especially hard. This small town is completely shut down, and needing all sorts of help. If I understood right, donations could be sent to First Baptist Church in Clinton. They’re housing people right now, and they are helping to disburse things to folks in need in the area.
It’s hard to imagine an ice storm doing so much damage. But, the Governor of KY said that this was the worst natural disaster that KY has ever had.
David
There are times when living in Iowa in winter is actually a GOOD thing.
Now you know what missionaries go through abroad. Makes you get the right values.
Geoff,
I have thought a lot about this, and an idea hit me. In Iowa, ice and snow is a regular thing. I have been pastoring here for 18 years. In all that time, I have cancelled Sunday morning services once. I go where I want to go and do what I want to do, pretty much.
Why? In Iowa, we are used to this. We expect it. Sioux City has a fleet of trucks that hit the streets before the weather hits, laying down salt and sand. Then, the plows go to work as soon as the snow begins to fall. Most of our power cables are buried. Frankly, I can’t remember a power outage because of weather. A foot of snow, Temperatures near 30 below, the power is still on. I drive a 4×4 Durango that does not easily get stuck.
In Virginia (where I pastored before I moved to Iowa) there was no such preparation. Ice and snow shut things down for days. They didn’t expect the weather and weren’t prepared for it.
I am not saying this in a “we are better than you” way nor am I trying to belittle the suffering of thousands, perhaps millions of people. In fact, we are sending our chainsaw unit down to do disaster relief next week in Arkansas. But the South just doesn’t expect the kind of weather we experience and is therefore unprepared when it comes.
Here’s my point: In Iowa, we EXPECT bad winter weather and prepare for it. It is normal. It snowed in November and is only now melting.
Many Christians live in the expectation that everything will always go smoothly, that if they serve God they will be happy, healthy and wealthy at all times.
Since they do not expect hardship, they are not prepared when the hard times come. they fall apart because they did not expect that suffering and hardshi would come to them.
Jesus warned us that this world would be full of hardship, even persectuion. We must prepare our hearts and minds for what might lie ahead, depending on God and strenghthening ourselves in Him for whatever lies ahead.
If we are prepared when the storms hit our lives, we can handle things much better.
I have been reluctant to write this, since it could come out wrong, as if I am dismissing your struggles or something. I hope you understnad what I am trying to say.
David Miller;
Amen my brother, amen. God expects us to expect and to anticipate suffering and to prepare for it. We prepare ourselves for our life’s work, for the ministry, so why not for the sufferings of life/
We are to prepare, yet rely upon His goodness and grace. He will NOT
PUT ON US, more than we are able to carry. Suffering is a way God removes our pride, and makes us to cry out to Him for endurance and deliverance.
Dave,
Travel was never a problem here. It’s just that we had so much ice that even our main electrical supply lines were brought down by the weight of it. We have thousands of power poles broken and lying on the ground. That’s why we have no power.
We aren’t exactly strangers to snow and ice. There’s plenty of that in Kentucky. And I hear what you’re saying … but there was no way to prepare for this. We still have over 200,000 homes without power, and it may be weeks before all are restored. There are just too many poles to re-set, and lines to re-string. And we’re out of poles.
From a loss of power standpoint, this even far exceeds the devastation of Katrina, Rita, etc… I guess you would have had to be here and see it all to believe it. But our people are resilient and they are digging in. Lots of my church folk are on generators, burning wood in fireplaces that have not been used in a while, of keeping warm with kerosene heaters. Ours are hearty, resourceful, country folk.
Besides … we have trees here. Your corn doesn’t grow high enough to fall over on the power lines.
Geoff
the corn comment stung a little
I want to say again, I hesitated to make that comment because I didn’t want it to come out as it may have come out. It was not meant in any way as an insult to those who are suffering.
Dave,
As one directly involved in the business of supplying electricity to people, I can assure you that Geoff has hit the nail on the head. When you have as much freezing rain as Kentucky, southeast Missouri, and northern Arkansas had last week, it just doesn’t matter how well you’re prepared… poles and wires will snap like twigs, and restoration can take weeks. Ice is SO much different than snow… you can have several feet of snow and not cause real problems to the electric grid… but two or three inches of ice clinging to everything? It’s devastating.
(You can see what I mean here.)
In response to Dr. Foltz’s comment. Amen to the fact that we need to prepare for suffering but I would also say that that the LORD does give us more than we can carry. Much more. He wnats us to learn dependence and submission (and many other things that I am sure we may never know about until we meet Him in Glory) and to keep in mind that we exist for His glory, not our own.
Tess, 14-
”There hath no temptation overcometh you, but such as is common with man, and God will with the temptation, make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”
”For it seemeth good to the holy ghost and unto us to put upon you no more then these necessary burdens.”
Dave,
Just a kernel of humor …
I visited Iowa once for a week-long VBS mission team. The main thing that I remember is corn. Like millions of miles of it.
Geoff,
I’m right there with you brother. Our power here in Jonesboro was out for five days. Our youngest daughter lives in the country and is still out. Her husband is a lineman so no telling when he’ll be home.
At least it’s warm now so all of these folks aren’t still freezing.
Dr. Foltz,
With all due respect, neither of the passages of scripture you quoted has to do with suffering.
1 Corinthians 10:13 is in reference to temptation to sin
Acts 15:28 is in reference to the letter sent by the Jerusalem Council with respect to requirements of new converts.
Geoff,
If you are a bicyclist, come and ride RAGBRAI (Des Moines Registers Great Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa). It is late summer and the corn is high and in a 500 mile bike ride, you get about 300 miles of corn fields.
The “kernel” joke – I will just pretend I didn’t hear that!