A Season of Discouragement

I can’t help but think that we are moving into a Season of Discouragement.

We had some significant rain Wednesday night so the water is back up a bit. It’s like a plug in the bayou is preventing any more draining. Still no threat to the house, just more delay before I can get out there and start to clean things up. Still so much better off than many others. I took a ride to check out friends in Crowley and Kaplan then back to Broussard. There are miles of streets with piles of personal belongings and damp carpet at the roadside. Actually putting out the ruined items is the quick and easy part.

I decided to file an insurance claim on my Honda truck yesterday. The air conditioning isn’t working and the electronics are acting wacky since it sat in flood waters for a couple of days. I really didn’t think the water had gotten deep enough to hurt anything. It started right up, but hasn’t been acting right since. We have moved the truck and our car out of the water and onto the dry end of our driveway to prevent any further damage.

We found out this morning that our church preschool will be delayed in reopening due to water in the walls. Another inconvenience and the removal of a big help and a needed break for many.

I believe there are discouraging days ahead. In the first few days after a disaster like this there is a feeling of shock and community as friends and neighbors ban together to help each other. As time passes, everyone gets back into dealing with their own problems, reality sinks in,  and those with big damage issues are left pretty much alone to take care of themselves.

It is then that we need a closer walk with Jesus. We need daily reminders of what’s really important and where our real strength and refuge lie. Yes, I see a season of discouragement ahead. We will need more than ever the sense of purpose and togetherness that binds a Jesus community. We will need to keep loving each other when the first excitement wears off and the drudgery of day-to-day dealing with the mess looms large.

When discouragement starts, do what I did, take a ride around and see how much we really have to be thankful for. The good thing about a season of discouragement is that it puts us just where we need to be: leaning on the everlasting arms and giving thanks.