Discouragement Undone

Since moving to a northern climate after almost 40 years in a tropical one, I have enjoyed a lot of the cold, but I have had a good dose of SADD this past winter.  I am listless, just don't care about household tasks, and the world outside my window continues to look bleaker and more dark every day, between the actual dreary, leafless, brown weather and the actual state of the world.

I have always had a fascination for history, for some reason, the particularly violent 20th century histories of WWI, WWII, the Russian Revolution, etc.  I have indulged that fascination and have read countless books, both personal memoirs and standard history books about the above subjects.  All that lead-in to say that the times we are living in look a lot like pre-any of the above.  If I were young, I would rise to the occasion, but I am in my 60's and not the healthiest of people.  I tried becoming somewhat prepared for disaster in Florida when I lived there, but my efforts at gardening were a bust, and I gave up.  

I seem to have an unfortunate bent towards give-up-ness.  I didn't think I was like that, but I surprise myself in a bad way.  I find it hard to really care about anything, and going to sleep at night is my favorite time.  I can put down the unused fighting gloves I've been listlessly waving around and stop pretending and just go to sleep.

This post is not meant to discourage anyone.  On the contrary, I know where my hope lies.  It lies in Jesus Christ and in His Word.  My husband and I have found a wonderful church in Boise, which we could never really claim in Florida.  The pastor/teacher is absolutely teaching the word "line upon line, precept upon precept".  What a blessing that has been for both of us!!

And the point for this post?  Two of my favorite blogs.  The first one, "5 Acres and a Dream" is a preparedness blog, but a very gentle and honest one.  No ads, except for very inexpensive personally publisdhed written material by the blog author herself, and a very realistic picture of what it takes to be self sufficient in these days, at least as much as possible.  She does not paint a picture of impossible to fulfill, 100% freedom from the grid, but a story of their everyday life and best of all, everything she has learned in detail about soil, preparing for weather of various kinds, substitutions for things that might not be purchase-able in the future.  

Today's post was very realistic.  Leigh talks about the "what-if" worst scenario, and recognizes that even in a world where one is prepared, if everyone else is hungry and hasn't a clue how to take care of themselves, as well as having no sense of morality as in past times of emergency (like the Depression), it is going to be a bad time for everyone, including the prepared.

Make sure you also read the comments to her post for today, Saturday, March 9, 2019.  These are realistic people, who, even so, are not giving up.  Leigh is a Christian as are many of those in "let's get off grid" mode, so what her preparations don't cover, her faith does.

After reading her post, I could only agree with her assessment of the times.....and despair.  That is not Leigh's fault - she is only speaking the truth and continuing on the path she and her husband have chosen.  The despair is my fault, although it is very hard to watch a country that you have loved and enjoyed a wonderful life in, to disintegrate into chaos, hate and violence.   Leigh only speaks the truth, and not in excited "let's fight" language, but in a matter of fact way.  What she describes I have read about in hundreds of books, and the detail I have absorbed doesn't allow my imagination to fool me in any way about the times to which we are headed.

Until I came to my most favorite blog of all, "Coffee Tea Books & Me".  This is a person, Brenda, who, under the burdens of her life, does not give up. Every week she posts on pantry preparation, and not the huge pantry of an "off the grid" person.  She does what she can with what she has, AND, the creme de la creme:  She provides Christian encouragement to her readers, which are numerous, in the form of pointing the way to us who despair, pointing to the Word of God, pointing to Christ.  

So this day that started out so dark for me has been more than salvaged by Brenda's post of today, which reminded me that God has it all under control, including me, and that I need to buck up and get moving no matter how I feel, to do those things I can do today.  I am not to worry about tomorrow, but do what I can today and not allow myself to become discouraged and give up.

Thank you to both of my favorite blogs!!