Righting A Wrong Way Of Thinking

As any of you that have watched the news in the last couple of weeks knows the area in West Virginia that I live in was hit by a total of around two feet of snow within a two week period.

This caused all of the roads to be bad, and when the snow started to melt it caused a huge flood in our area. Many people lost their homes, and everything that they owned it truly was a State of Emergency like the governor declared. I am grateful that our home was spared, and that the only things that were a true threat to us were the slick roads.

In the process of the river rising, because of all the water, it effected our city water plant and caused it to have to shut down, which left us with no water. As I write this we are still without water for 5 days now. Remember now, our home was spared from the flood, our electric managed to stay on throughout the storms, so we had a dry safe, warm home, and for that I am truly grateful. But not having water for the past five days for some reason has bothered me more than it should, and I am ashamed to have to admit that the way that I have reacted to it, is in a way shameful.

There are so many people that have lost so much, everything that they have worked for, gone in a matter of hours. And here I am complaining just because I don't have any water, how embarrassed I truly am. So why are you writing about this on a Catholic site you might ask?

Well I know as Christians we are suppose to have it ingrained in our minds and hearts that God is there and He will take care of us, but we also are human and imperfect people and we have thoughts, and concerns just like everyone else, and yes, even Christians at time can have their periods of doubt, especially in times of great stress. It is hard during times of heartache to see God's hand in something, but no matter how bad things look at the moment, you don't have to worry, because God is always there. And as an imperfect human, I have allowed this minor problem that I am having with no water fester and become a lot more that it really is, and in essence, I feel like I have failed a test that I have been given.

You have heard the saying that hind sight is 20/20, and that is true, as I write this and look back at my reactions to the struggles that have been placed in front of me, I can see where I have went wrong, and now I am taking the steps to make them right. Instead of getting on my Facebook and complaining to people who have no control over this situation I should be on my knees asking God to give me the grace to handle this situation in a way that will bring glory to Him.

In conclusion, as I finish writing this article, it is now day 6 with no water, but see I am OK with that now. Because after giving all of my stresses to God and allowing Him to take control over the situation things are starting to work out. I was able to go to my daughter's house last night and take a long, hot, relaxing bath (with hot water). My dear husband came home from work with a 5 gallon drum of water, and with 6 gallon jugs of water. So now, after I finish this article, I can go in and wash my dishes, and get my kitchen straightened back up, and actually cook a meal for my family this evening, instead of us having to eat out yet again. And I spoke with the water department, and they are pretty sure that they will have the water back on within a couple of days. By giving God the control in my life, instead of me trying to control what I can't, not only were my prayers answered, but God is where He is supposed to be in my life, the driver's seat.