Being Prepared

…if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. - Matthew 24:43 (NRSV)

I met this morning with one of the leaders of the Neighborhood Emergency Team for the Hayhurst area. The church is a staging site in the case of an emergency. It got me to thinking about being prepared for that Big One (the earth quake that is due in this area) and other disasters natural and human caused. Am I prepared for whatever might come my way? Is it even possible to be prepared?

I know that there is a standard basic emergency kit that everyone from the CDC to Homeland Security to the Red Cross recommend you put together for your home and office and car and for each person in those locations. I know that a lot of what is on that list I have around my house and office. I also know that the most important stuff may not be there at all (enough water, work gloves, etc.). And I know that it is spread out which can be a problem in a disaster. You can purchase kits and food supplies (some of which is guaranteed to have a 25-year shelf life). You can get kits for your car, for your home, for you to carry with you at all times. You can subscribe to a service that will send you more gear and supplies each month so that you will never have to worry about having the right stuff. There is even a sub-culture known as “preppers” who make every effort to have whatever they might need to survive the end of civilization. And our Mormon friends have this whole survival and shelter thing covered with detailed manuals complete with scriptural references.

I guess that I really need to put that kit together, spend the money, and make a schedule for rotating supplies and medications. I really don’t have any good reason not to. I surely am not one of those religious fanatics that will climb up the nearest mountain, spread my arms wide, and sing “glory hallelujah” embracing the end as if it was the culmination of God’s divine plan. In case you didn’t get it, I do not believe in some end of the world, apocalyptic Day of the Lord preordained by God to bring all creation to an end. I do believe that disasters happen, that a living planet like ours has destructive moments, and that humans can and do cause very bad things to happen that threaten life as we know it. So, I know that I need to be prepared for some disaster to strike.

But there are other disasters that can’t be prepare for by assembling a kit of first aid supplies, work gloves, food, and water. I also know that accompanying disasters of the physical kind are emotional and spiritual disasters. If – nope that’s wrong – when the Big One strikes I know that my psyche and my spirit will be traumatized. So, I need to prepare for that as well. I can include some items to help in my kits – a Bible, perhaps a notebook of quotes and sayings, maybe a candle or a rock or something physical that has helped me in my spiritual practices. I might want to include a game, cards, or something that can take my mind off things for a little while. Maybe a set of prayer beads would be good. And always I need to keep in my mind at least passages like “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” (Psalms 46:1-3 NRSV). And “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NRSV).

So, this weekend I will dig out of the attic an empty storage container. I will begin to gather up supplies for my emergency kit. I will make my plans, figure out how to remind myself to rotate my supplies and get myself a little more prepared for what will, eventually, come. I will also work at my spiritual practices, because even if all my stuff is gone I can rely on the practices that have, are, and will see me through.

Help me O God, to be prepared in mind, body and spirit for the disasters that come. Give me strength of will and spirit to face whatever comes. Help me to prepare for whatever life may bring. Thank you for being a safe harbor in the storms of life. Amen.