Surveying a flood is seriously depressing. Water is permeating everywhere. The ground is soft, with a feel of a soft Jell-O that just won’t quite set up firm. Plants are overwhelmed and everything seems to be under siege. Nothing can stop water from continuing to expand beyond its traditional borders. New dykes seem to crumple without a fight, having lost their will due to a war that raged out of sight inside. Sand bags are merely detours put their for the waters enjoyment, slightly deviating but ultimately never shaping the course of the unending tide.
I have no idea of how I would deal with the fear that I would have as an adult. Fear mixed with anger and frustration. This is a combination that tears at life from the inside out. There is something that happens to your soul when you lose the battle. Joel records the scene without much emotional context.
“The invaders charge. They climb barricades. Nothing stops them. Each soldier does what he's told, so disciplined, so determined.” (Joel 2.7)
Yet I wonder. How would I feel in total? Would I do something about it? Could I cope? If I could know that a flood is coming, would I change what I was doing in the present?
It is the latter question that haunts me as I face the dawn. There are so many things in life that overwhelm and destroy. That these things exist is beyond my control. I can see and often anticipate that they will arrive. Yet, for the most part I do nothing.
Today will be different! Now is the time to prepare with the tools that I have at my side. Some might think that they are merely ideas but I know better. I know compassion is stronger than justice is and that mercy will outlasts hatred. I also know that love can transcend any barrier. Given the flood that is touching all of our lives, knowing isn’t enough, action is required. So the question, challenge, and opportunity sit quietly on the side. What will we do?
