Lessons from Egypt....and from within our own borders

(Image courtesy of blogs.ft.com)

It's hard to watch the events unfolding in Egypt. There is such unrest in that ancient country. I have a family member who lived in Egypt this past summer who has great love for the culture and the country.  She expresses, through social media, how much she is saddened by this and her concern for the friends she has in the area.  She states "The chaos has come to Maadi, to the (comparatively) quiet streets we walked down all summer. There are tanks and machine guns. I'm worried about our Egyptian friends and wonder what is going on with them right now."

I think that the people of Egypt are also wondering what is going on right now.  Communication systems are shut down.  People are using their land lines and old-style modems to attempt to communicate.  We have all learned that in a very short period of time, life as we know it can change. 

As the protests continue, commerce really is not.  What does that mean?  Access to food, water, and supplies is interrupted.  It is reported that many will run out of supplies soon. Many stores have been looted as well, and transportation routes have been interrupted.

Has any of this got you thinking?  It is hard to fathom anything happening like this anywhere.  However, how different would life be for many of our Egyptian brothers and sisters if they had they had prepared "every needful thing". 

Take a page out of the current events section of our newspaper.  Inventory your food and emergency supplies.  See what you are needing and what you have on hand.

(Image courtesy of almanac.com)

 

Now, take a page out of the U.S. newspaper. Huge winter storms raging through much of the United States. This picture comes from....Texas.  I have a family member who relocated to Texas over about 1.5 years ago.  She reported to me today that they have been experiencing rolling blackouts. They were intermittently without heat....and it was cold for Texas. She stated that they pulled out their Kerosene heater and proceeded to scan the Internet to determine where they could purchase Kerosene.  They previously lived in Tennessee where Kerosene was plentiful. However, they were quickly determining that Kerosene just wasn't prevalent in their area.  They finally, through a series of calls, were informed that a local Ace Hardware may have Kerosene and luckily it was located near their home.  So, off they went on the winter roads to purchase the needed fuel.  She said that as they entered the store, a helpful employee asked if they came looking for items to protect their exterior faucets, among other things on his long verbal list.  Thankfully they were not in need of any of those items. However, when they asked for Kerosene, the employee was unsure if they had any.  They looked and came back with 2 containers that were preciously priced. 

 

My family member purchased what they needed and headed home. 

 

What are the lessons we can learn from these 2 current events?  Plan, prepare, and know what is available in your area. So, please don't wait for the current event to hit your home.  Look, calculate, and devise a plan of action....today.  Have the peace of mind that the Lord promises by being prepared.