Monday; September 10


          I spent some of my youth in South Florida so, naturally, I was interested in hurricanes.  I think it was a thought of filling up the bathtub with potable water that fascinated me, but no matter the prompt, I remember being intrigued by these massive storms.  I remember getting the grocery bags from Publix (the ones with the storm tracking maps) and listening to the 6:00 p.m. newscast so we could track if/when the storm would hit.  I recall my grandfather watching the barometer and adding his experience into the equation.  There were fewer sources of  “information” available to us back then and there was an overriding philosophy that said you can never predict a storm so as I look back, I recall us talking about the storms and planning for the storms, but I don’t recall it gripping our attention the way the storms do today. 
          The reason for this trip back down memory lane is that I think we had less stuff to worry about when we had fewer resources available to us.  It is easy to become overstimulated by information in these modern times and it can have a negative impact on our ability to effectively process the information.  We are so focused on preparation (and control) that we are overwhelmed by the data.  It is easy to become so fixated on mitigating an issue’s influence that we forget that, most of the time, we can’t actually act until we are in the midst of the event.  Maybe the biggest issue with being overloaded with information is that we tend to lose sight of the power of God.  Scientific data and information can tell us where things stand now and can be used to predict what might happen later, but God is the only one who has the power to control the future. 
          There is an adage that says, “ignorance is bliss”.  While this might fly in the face of our desire for predictable answers, it just might be the key to being able to reduce our angst and allowing us to enjoy our lives.
          Think About It!

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