Have We Lost Our Ability to Be Self-Sufficient?

Though it's been a few weeks since the derecho (the big wind storm) in Central Virginia, life has returned back to normal.  The power is on, phones are working, air conditioners are running and freezers are stocked back up.  Yet as I drive through the county, downed trees and limbs dangling precariously over power lines constantly remind me that it won’t take much to put us back in the dark again.  Am I prepared for the next time? 

One of the biggest questions that kept coming to mind in the days following the storm was, "Have we lost our ability to be self-sufficient by being too self-sufficient?"  That question packs a punch as it can be viewed from many different angles.  And to back it up, I had to smile when I looked up "self-sufficient" at merriam-webster.com and saw how they broke it up into two parts (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-sufficient):

1 : able to maintain oneself or itself without outside aid : capable of providing for one's own needs
2 : having an extreme confidence in one's own ability or worth

So, the question becomes, "Have we lost our ability to 'provide for [our] own needs" by 'having extreme confidence in [our] own ability or worth'?"

As a society, have we been so comfortable that we have forgotten what it's like to be uncomfortable?

Have we been so confident in our luxuries that we freak when we experience inconvenience and find ourselves hot and sweaty (and not because of our workouts)? 

Have we failed to prepare because tragedy doesn't happen here, it happens elsewhere? 

Have we relied so much on convenience that we lost our ingenuity and resourcefulness? 

Have we become so caught up in our own corners of the world that we don't know how to extend and even receive invitations and offers for help and relief? 

I was amazed to watch the fallout of the storm via Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Everyone was thinking the power would be out just a couple days but once it extended past Days 2 and 3, Facebook statuses became frustrated.  Another day out, anger.  Another day out, desperation.  Another day out, despair.  When the power came back on, life resumed as normal and not much has been said about it ever since. 

Through technology, I watched friends offer other friends invitations to come over for showers, relief from the heat and a good meal. But I also repeatedly witnessed these same friends turning down invitations and later complaining on Facebook about their plight. 

Help was offered yet it wasn't accepted, why? 

Has it become easier to complain about our circumstance on Facebook than it is to do something about it? 

Does it seem more status-worthy to tough it out than it does to accept an invitation? 

Are we more comfortable talking through our technology at each other than be in the same room talking with each other? 

This storm brought about a great chance for observation, a chance to see my generation in action when life is interrupted.  Sometimes, it bothers me what I see within my generation.  But then I have to turn it around and look at myself before I can say too much. 

What did my own Facebook statuses reveal during that time? 

Did I make the most of the chances to impart encouragement and hope to those who were stuck back home without power while we waited it out at my in-laws? 

How can I model healthy self-sufficiency for others yet also be the one to have enough to extend invitations for help and relief to others at the same time? 

Then, I can't help but look at the spiritual application--have we lost our ability to be self-sufficient by being too self-sufficient? 

Have we lost our ability to connect with God, seek Him and make Him the center of our lives by silently demanding control of our lives through our over-filled calendars and our attempts to make life happen how we want it to happen? 

Have we reduced our faith to something that we use whenever hard times hit or leave God in the background until we suddenly need something? 

Have we traded in our ability to change the world for discontent because we want more than the little assignments that God has given us today, failing to realize that Luke 16:10 holds one of the greatest truths to impacting our world? 

And, trust me, this is just the beginning of all the questions that the derecho brought to my mind!  Weeks later and my mind is still a jumbled mess as I reflect, pray and figure out “how do I become a light in my generation?”  Because “derecho” is the Spanish word for “straight”, I find it so fitting that God would purposefully choose to answer that question with Proverbs 4:25-27:  "Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.  Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.  Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust." (MSG) 

Such truth is found in these verses as it reminds me that we need to be self-sufficient enough to realize that storms will come and go and it's how we walk through them that will either shine Light (Christ) or darkness (the world) to my generation.

Leading Through the Derecho

There are many thoughts and reflections from the big derecho storm running through my mind that I can’t wait to express in the weeks ahead.  However, there is one overriding theme that stuck out from the storm -- the value and care of family.

On Saturday morning, after we realized the magnitude of the storm and that power wasn’t going to be restored any time soon, we had the opportunity to travel to my in-laws who had power and A/C.  I was torn about what do to.  Do we stay or do we go?  What if the myMISSION girls needed help?  But then what about my child who has a heat sensitivity (heat hives/rashes) and has all of his food allergies (some life-threatening) and what would we do if power was out long-term?  What would a "real leader" do in times like these?  Would they stay and try to "save the day" or would they lay that aside and take care of their family instead (which sometimes isn't as "glamorous")?  And, would the girls understand if I left town and wasn’t physically there during an uncertain time like this (ah, the lies Satan loves to plant in our minds...)?

I prayed for wisdom and felt God telling me to go, to care for my family first and to trust Him because He had everything under control.  As we began traveling down 29 through both counties in our Association, God gave me such peace about leaving town.  For all 28 names on the myMISSION roster (whether active or inactive), God reminded me that their parents, in-laws, siblings or close friends live nearby.  He reminded me of the strong family units that these girls had here and how that was one blessing of living in a rural area.

In our Association, families are so intertwined in their daily lives that when disaster strikes, it’s only natural for them to pull together and to take care of each other.  So, all of the myMISSION girls had somewhere to go, someone who would check on them, etc.  It was God’s way of telling me to let go, to learn from them and to care for my own family right now. 

While at my in-laws, my mother-in-law’s example and actions spoke louder than her words.  She welcomed us with open arms, enjoyed our presence and gave everything she had.  She allowed my son and I to stay with her a few extra days while my husband returned to work/home without power.  She made us feel like we had a home away from home.  If we were loud or messy or inconvenienced her, we never would have known for it was a true joy for her to have us in her home.

There were moments when I felt like I "should" be at home and available for the myMISSION girls in case they needed something.  Yet God quieted those thoughts and reminded me that I desperately needed this downtime to rest, to be ministered to and cared for by my mom-in-law, and to be there for my husband and son during this uncertain time.  To do anything different in this situation would have been disobedience.

Sometimes, being a leader means following God and leading your family even if it removes you from those you lead for a short time.  God was able to do more with my concerned prayers (and extra abiding time with Him) than if I was at home running around and trying to help Him out (Acts 17:24-25).