Get Ready

The rain continues to fall from the slate gray sky. For the past five days, the weather forecast has been remarkably accurate in its daily prediction of rain. The north Georgia ground has soaked up as much of the wet stuff as it can handle, and still the rain falls. Lake Lanier is on the rise and the Chattahoochee and Chestatee Rivers are swelling rapidly, their currents lapping the banks in seeming anticipation of a new adventure.

We stared in disbelief at on-line pictures of car dealerships underwater and motorists stranded on major highways due to the heavenly deluge. But this downpour was more than just pictures from a story. It was tangible. We watched with shock and dismay as our normally calm creek turned into a raging river of angry water, challenging everything in its path.

Our creek is supplied with water from an underground spring and typically flows peacefully year round. Because the storm drainage system for an adjacent neighborhood flows into our creek, when we get a significant rain it drastically affects the water flow. Over the past eight years, my husband and I have attempted to harness the creeks' flow when faced with similar storm systems. Before we had the sod laid in our outer yard, we could count on losing at least a truckload of soil with each heavy rain. Due to this erosion, we were losing trees; eighty to one hundred foot tall, hardwoods. Our lot looked more like a mini-war zone than a yard.

After years of patiently, and sometimes not so patiently tweaking this and adjusting that, having potentially problem-causing trees removed, adding soil to raise the ground level and putting sod down, we're hoping to finally beat the creek at its game. With an unenviable record to date, Creek 10 Morgans 3, we watched with bated breath as the water swelled to twice and then three times its normal depth. The churning brown water quickly found its way over the driveway, where it tumbled into the pond before swiftly exiting on the other side and transforming our outer yard into a river, nearly fifty feet wide. The sight was almost comical had we not put so much time and effort into beautifying our yard. When the rain slowed down, we breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the channel of water that had forced its way across our driveway and blasted a path across our lawn, there was minimal damage.

Storms not only occur in nature, they happen in our lives. Am I spending the time necessary to lay a solid, sure foundation? When the storms of life come, will I be able to stand or will I crumble? The book of Matthew challenges us with Christ's words, "24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." (Matthew 7:24-25; KJV)Just like my husband and I knew we needed to prepare our yard to survive the effects of the storm, we need to be wise and prepare ourselves for life's storms. Anchor yourself to the Rock, Jesus Christ. The storms are coming. Be prepared.