May 16, 2020
It is storming this morning. I checked the weather app on my phone and it should clear up by 11:00 a.m. When I click on the weather radar, it looks like we are about to get a real big downpour with some thunder and lightning but nothing dangerous seems to be headed our way. While I am looking, I see what the rest of the weekend looks like. Clear skies ahead… yea! In fact, I don’t see any possibly bad weather until maybe next Friday. Of course, the only 100% reliable information here is the radar picture for right on top of my house which just tells me what is happening at this moment. I could also just look out the window to figure this out. The farther out the predictions, the more unreliable they become, but they are pretty accurate for the next few hours. It makes me wonder, if Gilligan and the Skipper would have had access to the weather app, would they maybe have cancelled the intended 3-hour tour? I mean, they apparently didn’t know the weather was about to get rough, and the tiny ship would be tossed, which is why they ended up on “this uncharted desert isle”. (My apologies if you are unfamiliar with the 1960’s sitcom, “Gilligan’s Island”.) I guess that Mr. and Mrs. Howell and Ginger must have sensed danger because they packed extra clothes, jewelry, makeup and chests of money. Poor Professor and MaryAnn, Gilligan and the Skipper had to wear the same clothes for all four seasons of the show. Sometimes I wish I had a “life radar”, a way to see what’s coming next. What will we be happening 6 months from now? This would be especially helpful during this uncertain time in our world. How long should we quarantine? What will the school year look like next year? Will they find a cure for, or a way to prevent, the Corona virus? We think that knowing would keep us from worrying, but wouldn’t it really be the opposite? Knowing everything that is in our future is too much for man’s limited understanding. God did not design us this way. We are not able to see into the future because God wants us to trust him enough to live in the “here and now”. We have enough trouble because we constantly replay the past. Imagine if knowledge of the future was all mixed into our thoughts, full of things we could not prevent, how would we ever pay attention to today? As the saying goes, “today is a gift” and we need to open it up and appreciate it. If today finds you “marooned on an island” (stuck in quarantine) instead of enjoying a “3-hour tour” of Target or the mall, try to appreciate the uncomplicated nature of your day. You don’t have to decide what to wear or where to go. Instead of struggling to be “rescued”, enjoy the extended stay at home. Once life returns to normal and we are all back at it, we may long for these days of closeness and quarantine. In the meanwhile, we need to be aware that some people’s islands do not have all the supplies they need to enjoy each day. We should look around for opportunities to support and rescue others. Matthew 6:34 says: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” And in Psalm 118:24 we are told: “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Philippians 3:12-14 in The Message version of the Bible says: “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” Have a great day! Smile and be joyful!
It is storming this morning. I checked the weather app on my phone and it should clear up by 11:00 a.m. When I click on the weather radar, it looks like we are about to get a real big downpour with some thunder and lightning but nothing dangerous seems to be headed our way. While I am looking, I see what the rest of the weekend looks like. Clear skies ahead… yea! In fact, I don’t see any possibly bad weather until maybe next Friday. Of course, the only 100% reliable information here is the radar picture for right on top of my house which just tells me what is happening at this moment. I could also just look out the window to figure this out. The farther out the predictions, the more unreliable they become, but they are pretty accurate for the next few hours. It makes me wonder, if Gilligan and the Skipper would have had access to the weather app, would they maybe have cancelled the intended 3-hour tour? I mean, they apparently didn’t know the weather was about to get rough, and the tiny ship would be tossed, which is why they ended up on “this uncharted desert isle”. (My apologies if you are unfamiliar with the 1960’s sitcom, “Gilligan’s Island”.) I guess that Mr. and Mrs. Howell and Ginger must have sensed danger because they packed extra clothes, jewelry, makeup and chests of money. Poor Professor and MaryAnn, Gilligan and the Skipper had to wear the same clothes for all four seasons of the show. Sometimes I wish I had a “life radar”, a way to see what’s coming next. What will we be happening 6 months from now? This would be especially helpful during this uncertain time in our world. How long should we quarantine? What will the school year look like next year? Will they find a cure for, or a way to prevent, the Corona virus? We think that knowing would keep us from worrying, but wouldn’t it really be the opposite? Knowing everything that is in our future is too much for man’s limited understanding. God did not design us this way. We are not able to see into the future because God wants us to trust him enough to live in the “here and now”. We have enough trouble because we constantly replay the past. Imagine if knowledge of the future was all mixed into our thoughts, full of things we could not prevent, how would we ever pay attention to today? As the saying goes, “today is a gift” and we need to open it up and appreciate it. If today finds you “marooned on an island” (stuck in quarantine) instead of enjoying a “3-hour tour” of Target or the mall, try to appreciate the uncomplicated nature of your day. You don’t have to decide what to wear or where to go. Instead of struggling to be “rescued”, enjoy the extended stay at home. Once life returns to normal and we are all back at it, we may long for these days of closeness and quarantine. In the meanwhile, we need to be aware that some people’s islands do not have all the supplies they need to enjoy each day. We should look around for opportunities to support and rescue others. Matthew 6:34 says: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” And in Psalm 118:24 we are told: “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Philippians 3:12-14 in The Message version of the Bible says: “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” Have a great day! Smile and be joyful!
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