be prepared

The air is cold, and it's raining, dark and gloomy outside.  The cats are eating more and fluffing out.  The squirrels are running around frantically trying to hide their nuts.  The wooly worms have one small band of tan right in the middle, with black on both ends, and the skins on the tomatoes are thick.  I've seen quite a few guesses as to how this winter will go: lots of snow with higher or lower than normal temps, virtually no snow with higher or lower temps, or basically an average winter (whatever that means).  The prognosticators are everywhere, and I guess come March we'll know the answer.
In the gospels people were always asking Jesus about the future or the end-times.  Sometimes he would remind them that they knew how to read the signs for themselves.  Sometimes he would tell them that no one knew the answer, not even him.  So they were encouraged to live their lives as he had taught them, and to not worry about the future.  It's the same with winter.  It may be bad, it may not be, but we will still need warm clothes, something to melt the ice, something to move the snow, and good tires.  We never know what the future will bring, but we can be prepared, and live our lives faithfully.



God of our yesterdays, today, and tomorrows, we come to you uncertain of what tomorrow may bring.  But we know that you have been with us in all our yesterdays.  You are with us today, and so we have complete faith that you will be with us no matter what tomorrow may bring.  We pray that you will take our fear for tomorrow and turn it into faithfulness, that we may face the future with confidence that calls others into your presence......Amen