This year I got a very special present for my birthday.
My husband (I know some of you are jealous) renovated the corner of my kitchen for me!
The very corner in which the ugly corona cabinet was hanging.
It´s been years since I wanted to get rid of that piece!
But it´s not that easy in a kitchen because there is a lot of stuff connected to each other
and one little project provokes seven others (tiles, lighting, hood …)
But he did it! For me! And it turned out amazing!
Now my little kitchen is as bright and spacious as a real room.
My best birthday present! (Funny thing it is something taken away from me instead of given to me!)
The rest of the kitchen is still 27 years old but I don´t care because it is super functional.
What I did with my corona stockings?
They moved into the kitchen drawer where the games had been. The stockings are much better arranged in a drawer than in a stupid corner cabinet. (You get an idea of how much I despise corner cabinets.)
The games moved into the wardrobe in the entry room. (And I did make place out there by sorting things out or storing them in the garage instead… I´m not even sure about that anymore…)
And it´s not really necessary to have too many catastrophe stockings.
Otherwise you´ll lose track of what you have and things get expired or full of bugs!
Speaking of stockings…
A friend of us likes to be really well prepared for catastrophes of any kind:
Lots of food and medicine, a wood stove for cooking if there was a longer black out…
We live in uncertain times!
And we shall be smart and wise. But not anxious.
Where do you draw the line? What is smart providence and where does it get fanatic and unhealthy?
It´s probably good to have a bigger stocking and to evaluate what it is you actually need during a black out.
Although it is not possible for me to hoard enough food for a family of five for a long time of need, if there ever was a catastrophe.
But it is handy to never run out of flour or rice while cooking anymore, since I have those corona stockings at home.
We even had a camping stove in our garage and two canisters to get water from the old well at our town if needed…
But if the world had problems like those and everything fell apart…
Then we would be better off in learning real survival!
Survival in the woods. Hunting. Starting a fire. Growing vegetables.
Because my rice stockings and the camping stove would not help very long!
You see where thoughts like that lead to and how scary that can be!
Here´s what I read in my bible today (Luke 12, 29-33):
“Relax! Don´t be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God´s giving.
People who don´t know God and the way he works fuss over these things.
But you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
You´ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Don’t be afraid of missing out. You´re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
Be generous. Get yourself a bank in heaven.”
And at the end of the Lord´s Prayer Jesus says:
“Be direct. Ask for what you need.
… Don´t you think the Father will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”
That is thought provoking:
Ask for what you need…!
Health, food, material needs, relationships or wisdom come to our mind….
And then Jesus only talks about the Holy Spirit.
Maybe the Holy Spirit is all we really need?
The Holy Spirit is God in me. He is wise. Loving. Knows the future.
What else do I need?!
In 2nd Thessalonians Paul writes about the end time:
“We don´t know when all of this is going to happen.
About the time everybody´s walking around complacently, congratulating each other-“We´ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”-suddenly everything will fall apart.
But friends, you´re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this?
You´re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand.
So let´s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let´s keep our eyes open and be smart.
Since we´re creatures of Day. Let´s act like it.
Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
Speak encouraging words to one another.
Build up hope so you´ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.”
Faith, love and hope.
“Trust steadily in God,
hope unswervingly,
love extravagantly.“
1. Corinthians 13,13
That shall be my motto for the future.