Sometimes......

...you don't know what you have until it's gone......








This was a few remains of our house and yard after last night's "tornado." To drive around town....wow! It just makes you thankful it wasn't worse. Our power went out last night about 7:00...and JUST NOW came back on almost 24 hrs. later! Made for an interesting day. My mom joked with me about my last post, and how today was definitely not part of the "normal, daily grind."

I guess from living in Tx. all my life, I have learned to LOVE thunderstorms and gasp......even tornado warnings. In high school I even had the desire to be a "storm chaser." I'm sure watching the Helen Hunt movie Twister helped matters as well. Even yesterday, as the 75+mph winds beat against our house, Todd and I had the wooden doors open and eagerly watched out the glass ones. Reagan kept reminding us that probably wasn't the smartest, safest decision. She was right. While the storm sirens let out their bone-chilling call and others hid in their bathrooms,etc....Todd and I watched as our backyard was becoming obliterated. As devastating as it is watching your personal possessions blow away or destroyed....there is still something so awe-inspiring about storms. Maybe it's the presence of something more...something bigger. (and of course I'm not referring to "Mother Nature") The sheer power. And to think we only experienced a mild one at that. Reminds me of Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8:22-25. It doesn't tell us what exactly he said, but only that He rebuked the wind and waters....and "the storm subsided." Instantly. That's power. I'm pretty certain that during last night's excitement, absolutely nothing would have happened had Todd or I (or the best, most experienced meteorologist) stepped outside to command the winds to stop. (other than blow away ourselves!) And yet just the spoken word from the God of the universe, who Himself actually put the storm into motion to begin with.....all things changed. In an instant.

It's no fun losing part of your fence, shutters, shingles, and trampoline, and yet in a strange way.....I'm thankful for last night's storm. We were without electricity for almost 24 hrs. In a world that LIVES by electrical power......it's tough. Everything had to change. The food in our frig/freezer had to find a new home, Mommy had to get creative with meals, the kids had to use their imagination to entertain themselves, and we had to find light from alternate sources. Definitely humbles you to lose something that you are used to having. Things we not only take for granted, but selfishly develop the mindset we somehow DESERVE them. For the last 24 hrs. I have felt somewhat "helpless." My "normal daily grind" was affected due to the lack of electricity. So now that we have it again, I am actually looking forward to laundry, dish washing, meal preparing, etc.... Sometimes you just don't know what you have until it's gone.

Yet it's more than just losing the modern conveniences we've grown accustomed to. It's times like this when your normal life is altered in some fashion, and you realize the 1000's of blessings that are daily taken for granted. Whether a loss in life, in health, in job, in possessions, or in dreams........I believe God uses them. Uses the pain, disappointment or devastation to remind us how GOOD He is! How He loves giving good gifts to His children and how spoiled rotten we have become. Instead of beaming with delight and gratitude, we toss it aside and look for the "next gift." (sound familiar?.....what has become our version of Christmas morning, perhaps) Maybe sometimes he "takes things away" because he wants our undivided attention. Not punishment, but love. Undying LOVE! He takes the distractions away and puts the blinders on. So that all we see is HIM!

Next time your life is altered.....will you stop.....look for HIM....listen to His loving voice....and trust in His hand? He sure must love you a lot to want your undivided attention!