With the hurricane that just devastated much of the southeast, the strike that went on for much of last week closing the ports on the east coast, and the news I’ve been seeing, I have been praying much and considering some lessons learned. Maybe you have too. But these are some of my notes I have written down.
1. Always have some cash available. The system went down quick and in some places is still not operational. Credit cards, Apple Pay, Cash App, etc are convenient but only when the internet and electric are in order. Even ATMs are not an always an option in an emergency scenario.
2. Make a habit to have more than a week’s worth of groceries in your house. Wal-Mart and Sam’s can be wiped out in a day if there is a rush on supplies and if the supply chain gets broken down some how, there will be empty shelves.
3. Know alternatives to the grocery stores. Fishing, hunting, gardening, canning, bartering even. These are long term skills that need to be learned and developed. This is not paranoia, our grandparents lived like this but because of #2, their children and grandchildren got soft.
4. Electric vehicles do not go far when there’s no place to charge them. Further, they do not fare well at all in water. As much as I love technology, resist the urge to go full electric. Buy an EV if you want but have an old trusty gasoline or diesel vehicle too. You’ll not regret it.
5. The government is not going to swoop in and bail you out. It’s a bloated bureaucracy of red tape and if you sit around waiting for them, you’ll starve to death. Be prepared to provide, protect and rebuild with or without government assistance. Your best resources are within your own community, not some suit from Washington DC. There’s a reason President Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Things aren’t any better now compared to what they were in 1986 then Reagan spoke those words. Know who your neighbors are now rather than later.
6. Know how to navigate through your towns and cities without the GPS on your cellphone. Have an atlas available and know how to read it. Learn alternate routes of getting in and out of your community. As we have seen in North Carolina, even the interstate can be destroyed.
7. Most importantly, take heed to the direction given by Jesus;
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, LSB)
In an instant the things of this life can be gone, as a matter of fact, your life can end quickly and without warning. Do you know the Lord? Have you repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus? Are you storing up treasures in heaven? That’s what matters most.