30 Days of Thankfulness, Day #2 When the River Spills

When the Brown’s River spills its bank there is havoc everywhere.
The turbulent waters plowed through the boundaries that keep us all safe.
Those rushing waters eroded the earth and rock meant for stability.
They pushed and slithered out of the normal path.
The eerie scene of water where water should not be.

It is hard to get your bearings.
Land marks disappear.
Road ways become a sea of brown chaos.

Such was the picture as daylight peeked over the mountain.

Grey, angry skies giving way to the milky blue beneath.

News began trickling in on how various roads were closed.
Waters higher than ever seen before.
Damage visible in so many places.
Our neighbors once again greatly affected by the waters jumping their boundaries.

Damage.
A mess.
Feed loss.
Debris.
The aftermath.

The power of water.
We need it to sustain our life.
Yet, violent and turbulent it takes life.

As the day continues to dawn I am shocked  at the breadth of the flooding.
The river corridor all but gone.
No evidence of a boundary anywhere.

Our lives need boundaries.
God goes into great detail outlining the borders for the 12 tribes of Israel in the bible.
He uses boundary markers that are familiar and recognizable.
He very meticulously states them.
There are reasons for boundaries.
My farmer says good fences make good neighbors.
We try so hard to contain the water.
Placing earthen piles against entry ways.
Building berms to hold back the water.
Yet, the force  is too great to hold those boundaries.

I think about this as the water continues to rush with such force.
We need boundaries to be healthy.
So often we mar those boundaries.
We take a tiny step, and then another, until it’s a leap out of the river corridor.
It’s hard to get your bearings.
Land marks; gone.
And much like the river, leaving the boundaries wreaks havoc in so many ways.

Building a berm, is like building our faith.
We put boundaries in place to protect us.
God places boundaries there, not to control us or make our lives miserable, but to protect us.
Good fences keep our animals in, so our neighbors will still like us!

I continue to be amazed at how our community responds to crisis.
Friends call to check in on us.
Our youngest daughter looked out her window and saw the water, she asked if it had snowed.
When I told her it was water, she jumped out of bed.
She got dressed and went to help a neighbor pick up the pumpkins from the pumpkin glow.
Then she went down to help at our neighbors stable.

It was the first day of our 30 Days of Thankfulness Challenge. 
Musings already posted.
As I write day #2, I find it more challenging with so much destruction around us.
There’s much clean up from this storm.
There’s water in our basement and fields.
People are without power, roadways are washed out.
People have been out all day and night working on the roads and power lines and more.
But, isn’t that the challenge?
To dig deep?
To begin a path of gratitude one must see beyond the circumstances.

30 Days of Thankfulness

I am thankful for:
Community
Neighbors and friends who see a need and step out in so many ways
electricity
hope
heat
coffee
running water
daylight
my farmer
my children who see a need and get to work to help
theological conversations that challenge me
God’s provision in ways I didn’t know I needed

Join us on this journey of Gratitude. 
You will be changed.

I Thessolonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.