Waiting for Irma

The title of this blog post sounds like it would make a good title for a book, or a movie.

But it isn’t. She’s a serious hurricane. But the waiting part is real. Waiting to see where she is planning on going. Waiting for her to get here, or for her to go in a totally different direction.

It seems with all the technological advances that are out there, people still don’t realize the magnitude of the powers of these storms. Or the great amounts of water they bring with them. Or the water the large winds push in from the sea.

Perhaps technology is a hindrance as well as a help. People get stuck behind devices and don’t experience nature as much as they once did.

When I was a kid, I rode my bicycle around the school parking lot in the summers. Our elementary was next to a bayou, a very deep bayou. My brothers, who were braver (or perhaps more stupid, um, less cautious) would ride beside the bayou, but instead of stopping where one drainage ditch went into the bayou would pick up speed, and would go down it, and with the speed go up to the other side.

See, the drainage ditches would get dry sometimes if there hadn’t been rain recently. Usually, that’s not a problem in Houston, but some summers they do get droughts.

But when there is rain, the bayous would fill up and go over the banks into the nearby neighborhoods. We lived about two blocks away and our street, along with the one next to us, didn’t flood when those around us would. Perhaps it was a little higher. Our ditch in the front yard would flood, but the yard wouldn’t.

So, we went to school, and those in the streets behind us got off, because they couldn’t get out.

I was wondering with the larger amounts of water with Harvey if that changed, and the water got into the house or not.

These ditches are so deep, you would never think there could be enough water to fill them up, never mind going over the top and flooding the nearby neighborhoods. Unless, you had lived through it before. And never to the magnitude that it did during Hurricane Harvey.

And as far as other dangers in nature, when we went to my Granny’s house in Louisiana, there were cotton mouths in the stream, and rattlesnakes (as well as chiggers and ticks) in the piney woods.

So, when we went swimming in the stream, we would watch out for them and warn each other if anyone saw one swimming near us. Of course, sometimes one of the cousins would yell that there was one when there wasn’t. Then, when there was, it wasn’t believed.

Rattlesnakes make little shh, shh sounds. So, you knew they were around (unless it was one of the snakes that pretended to be a rattler and would hit his tail on the leaves to scare you away).

But nowadays if you stay in the house, or don’t live out near nature, or go out there often, you may not know the dangers and the powers of it.

The waiting, though, because of technology is difficult sometimes. After all, you know that a hurricane is out there, you know what track it is taking (today, which may change tomorrow), and you know the strength of it is tremendous.

But it’s not here yet. You still go to work, go out and do the things you normally do.

It might not come by your place at all, or it might. But if you wait to get prepared it will be too late.

And, then, there is always Jose’ or another one popping up or out there.

Jesus talked about his return being like in the days of Noah. The people were getting married and going about their business. Then the rain came. They had heard it was coming, but they didn’t believe it. They didn’t make any preparations for it. And it was too late.

Jesus said he is returning. People don’t believe it. They don’t prepare for it. (And, then, of course, they might die first which also needs the same preparation.)

Just like those who decide to ride out the storm with Irma, there are those who think it won’t matter, it won’t be as terrible to just go about life as nothing is different and a storm isn’t coming.

But, unlike Irma, who may turn at the last minute, when Jesus returns he isn’t going to change his direction.

If you are waiting for Irma, be sure you are ready. And if you aren’t built on a rock, I suggest you might want to go to higher ground. (See Matthew 7:24-27)