Collecting Flood Water

My parents recently had the opportunity to experience a Colorado Springs weather anomaly. For those of you familiar with Colorado Springs, you’ll know that it is the center for strange and bizarre weather (see our blizzard-y wedding pictures from the 1st of May). But this time, Colorado outdid itself.

Out there on the drought-weary plains, it rained so much that my parents’ basement flooded. They’ve never even heard of such a thing happening in the fourteen years they’ve lived there.

My response when I heard of their trial was typical to my personality and general world-outlook:

“*Sigh* It’s always something.”

Take my car, for instance, and its insistence on leaking coolant even after hundreds of dollars worth of repairs. Or my husband’s ever increasing work-load. Or the traumatic situation I underwent at the grocery store when I had to wait in a longer-than average line! The horror!

Yep, always something.

But my mom had a different perspective on things.

She pointed out that no matter what, life will be full of ‘always something’ moments. And she recommended collecting them.

She proposed the idea of holding onto those trying situations, holding them close so that you can display them, look back on them, and remember God’s goodness.

So this got me thinking: what if I were to trust God so much that, rather than getting fearful and upset at the first sign of flooding, I got excited?

What if instead of filling me with dread, trials filled me with anticipation, an eagerness to see how God’s goodness will be displayed through that situation?

Take my parents’ basement, for example. Aside from the massive job of cleaning everything, they had to throw out the carpet pad and rent then buy a pump. But, the drywall, insulation, carpet, furniture, important papers, etc… is all perfectly fine!

If you choose to see all the good that God did, rather than the bad He allowed, you can’t look at the situation without rejoicing!

Like with my car; I can choose to be anxious as it dies of old age, or I can rejoice because it’s serving its purpose at the moment and God has so richly blessed us that we can afford the repairs or even a replacement if need be.

Or my husband’s job? Well, I can fret for his sake that he’s so busy and has to work late on occasion, or I can rejoice because with this season of busyness comes job security.

As for waiting in long lines… well, that’s my own fault because I’m the one who keeps praying for patience 😉

I guess in the end, it all boils down to perspective and what or Whom you’re choosing to trust.

I’ll leave you with the closing thought of Is.59:19:

“When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”

I tread dangerous ground here, but I’ve been learning in Sunday school that all translation requires interpretation and this verse is a perfect example of that. You see, we put in the commas after the fact; they aren’t in the original Scriptures. So while there are certainly season where the enemy comes in like a flood, what if we were to move the comma?

                                                                                “When the enemy comes in,                                                                                     like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will life up a standard against him.”

Or, as the NASB puts it:

“For He will come like a rushing stream
Which the wind of the Lord drives.”

How do you choose to look at it?

Next time the flood waters start to rise, choose to rejoice in the goodness of an abundant God Who fills to overflowing.