Preparing for the future

Turn on your TV or any device with internet and you’re pretty much guaranteed to see some sort of horror. I’m not talking about movies or books. I’m not talking about words you’d rather not see or pictures that offend you with just a glance. I’m talking about some kind of disaster. Train wrecks, riots, racism, beheadings…you name it, it hits the news.

Recently I was reading an online news article about something that, to me, has the possibility of affected our entire nation in a bad way. It has the potential to draw people to something that stands against Christianity by any definition. And so I read the article. But it wasn’t that article that wound up having such an effect on me. It was the link at the bottom of the article, one that warned of something to come. Out of curiosity, and thinking it was weather related, I clicked on it. I wound up watching a video that was actually very good and, from what little I know of the topic being discussed, factual.

I actually found myself interested in what I was watching and even considered sharing it with my husband, who wasn’t there when I was watching it, but what started out being pretty good and informative wound up being a rather long sales pitch trying to get me to buy a set of books. I exited the video before it ended. But I was left with the thoughts that watching it created.

You see this video spoke about terrorist attacks on America, it spoke of things that sounded completely plausible to me. And I knew just enough on the subject to know that most of what they were saying did indeed seem to be true.

But now, after having watched all of it I intend to, I’m thinking on things they said. You see the person that made the video is what they call a ‘prepper’ or a ‘survivalist’. Scripture tells us not to worry about tomorrow. It tells us that the Lord will take care of us. But I must admit to seeing some merit in being at least a little prepared for certain circumstances. I’m not talking about survival type end of the world scenarios. Nor am I advocating storing up five, or even one, year of food and supplies…have you ever thought of how much space you’d need to do that?

I’m talking about basic preparations. Most people put gas in their cars long before the gauge reaches the E. In doing so they are preparing for their future in the sense that they will have the gas needed to drive the next time they get behind the wheel. People on medications prepare by making sure to get their medication before they run out of their current supply. Most of us prepare for daily life by buying a week or more’s worth of groceries at a time.

I remember once, years ago, when I lived within two blocks of two major grocery stores. I had a refrigerator that was trying to go out on me and would keep food cold but not quite cold enough and the freezer wouldn’t freeze. I had no back up refrigerator, no deep freeze. So I shopped for groceries daily. I kept shelf stable foods like cereal and bread on hand but bought only what I would need for that day if it needed any kind of refrigeration.

That system worked well for us for months. There were days I didn’t want to go to the store and on those days we did have just enough in the refrigerator to make it until the next day. We also had enough shelf stable foods to make it a few days if need be. And so we did fine basically eating only what I bought that day.

But then trouble came. One day an unexpected ice storm hit. A storm that was supposed to bring rain brought ice and left us iced in for over a week. A tree broke in half and blocked my driveway, power lines snapped. And we were stuck at home without enough groceries to see us through. Somehow we stretched what little was in the refrigerator and the contents of the pantry out until I could get out to go to the store. We didn’t go hungry but we didn’t eat all that well either. And I had plenty of time to worry as I watched our already meager supply of food dwindle.

From that I learned to never let my food supply get that low again. What worked fine when everything was normal didn’t work so well when something out of the ordinary happened.

I have seen time and again since that storm that when the weather forecast predicts snow or ice people run to the store to buy groceries, batteries, flashlights… Some of them go to buy extra supplies just in case, some go because they don’t have enough to make it for a week or more if they can’t get to the store.

And as a result they prepare for what is to come. Not because they fear the disaster that could happen but because they want to be able to make it for a few days if something does happen.

I live in tornado alley. We are encouraged to keep a disaster kit just in case a tornado should strike our area. I’ve seen what happens after a tornado goes through our area. I’ve seen the devastation that can be cause by even small tornados. I understand the wisdom in having something in place should we get hit by a tornado…do I admit now that I didn’t follow the advice?

But that wasn’t the sort of preparation the man in the video I watched was talking about. He was suggesting that we be prepared before an ice storm, before a tornado, or even before the family reunion converges on your home. What he was suggesting we prepare for was a large scale terrorist attack or other disaster that could essentially end life as we know it. And the method this man suggested it could happen wasn’t some farfetched thing but something that very easily could happen.

But now that I’m no longer watching the video waiting for him to divulge the answer to this possible scenario I sit here thinking of it and how he essentially told people to prepare for the end.

And I’m reminded of a verse my husband likes to use often…

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

There are lots of people that are what they call ‘preppers’ or ‘survivalists’ out there. There are people that stockpile weapons, food, machines, books, skills, and who knows what all else. I used to find that sort of thing fascinating. I never had the money or the space to do any of the things they suggested beyond putting together a bad to have on hand in a disaster. That did come in handy during the many tornado warnings we spent sitting in the hall for safety. We never needed them because we were impacted by the storm to the point of needing a survival bag but I did put the snacks, coloring books and crayons, flashlights and other items to use. It was nice having everything together when we were placed under a tornado warning. As the children ran for the hall I grabbed the bag that I knew would keep them entertained while we sat there.

But as useful as I found the items I had packed in the backpack, and I doubt a serious survivalist would have had any interest in the bag I had prepared. There’s a good chance it would have been little more than something to make them laugh. Really…who needs coloring books when your house is in splinters? But it worked for us as we needed it at the time. All that aside though…what good are any earthly preparations when our souls are in danger?

How many people that fill their basements, put in hidden floors in their homes, build indestructible shelters, and whatever else they do, prepare their souls with as much diligence as they prepare for the end of the world?

If we looked at statistics alone…what are the odds that any one person will experience a disaster of any kind that is so debilitating they can’t get some kind of help within a few days? National response teams say you need to prepare to survive on your own for three days, the average length of time it takes help to reach you in a major disaster. Three days. That’s the average time anyone would need to survive without help after a disaster. And how many people are effected to that extent in their lifetime? Thousands? Millions? We’re talking three days where you can’t get to any kind of outside help, store, business, phone…anything. How many?

What percentage of people in America must survive on their own in disaster type, life threatening situations? With no help or contact with anyone?

I don’t know the answer to those questions. I know there are many that are affected in disaster type situations in any given year but how many of them are completely cut off from the rest of the world so that they must rely only on themselves for survival for even the three days recommended? Whatever the number I’m absolutely positive that 100% of the population of America, of the world, will be effected by death. Not just by death but by their own death.

You might experience a disaster situation that puts your life in danger. You might find yourself in a situation where you are completely cut off from all outside help. You may wind up needing to use only what you have on your person, in your vehicle, or in your home to stay alive for hours, days, weeks, or less likely months or years as the survivalists fear. But I guarantee that you will be affected by your own death.

Survivalists prepare for what they call ‘the end of the world as we know it’. They prepare themselves to depend on no one but themselves for years (in some cases). They look ahead to what might happen, to what could happen, and they prepare for what they imagine might affect them in their lifetime.

Preparing for a disaster that could happen might come in handy someday if that disaster ever does happen. It might give you useful skills that can be utilized in your everyday life now. It probably will give you supplies that you can rotate through and use on a daily basis…unless you have a 5 or 10 year supply of what they call meals ready to eat or MRE’s, then you may not want to eat them if your life depends on it.

But what has all that preparing done to get them ready for the absolute, guaranteed experience that they will have with their own death and the judgment they will face as a result?

I know that the Lord has His chosen people. I know that He has determined who will spend eternity in heaven and who will spend it in hell. I know that. But I also know that Scripture speaks of faith comes from hearing the Word of God. I know that Scripture speaks of the Lord giving up the unbelievers because of their unbelief.

If any of the people that spend even a small part of their lives prepping for a disaster that may never come put the same amount of time into Christ…what would happen with their life? What kind of fruit might their preparation bear?

What kind of future should we prepare for?

Eternity?

Or a disaster that could happen?

What are you preparing for?