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The Flood
March 16, 2013

It was a Sunday night and after driving my son's friends home, I was looking forward to returning home and watching The Amazing Race, my favorite television show. At first, when the house I didn't focus on much until I walked down the hall from the garage and started stepping in water. Then to my horror, I saw the rug in the master bedroom was soaked through and water standing atop. The horror on my face was matched by my dog's enthusiasm for his new found swimming hole. He had already belly-flopped off the bed, and wanted a repeat. I thought perhaps I had left a sink on before leaving, so I walked back into the master bathroom only to find water spraying out from near where a pipe had frozen a few years back. I quickly realized The Amazing Race would need to wait and shut off the water. While I was fuming and trying to figure out where these services companies are listed in the phonebook, and get the claims contact information for Farmers Insurance, I thought about how much my dog was enjoying the circumstances that caused me hardship, and for the strangest reason, it brought a smile to my face. I guess a dog can enjoy the most miserable of circumstances and over the last few days, I learned a thing or two from our dog JoJo. Soon the service company arrived and stayed through 1:45 a.m. I couldn't imagine being friendly and cheerful, but the technician that night as well as all who came to follow up over the next several days were the most polite and thoughtful workers I have ever had in the house, so if you live in the El Paso area and ever have a flood in your house. After several hours of water removal, moving furniture, two dehumidifiers, and seventeen fans, it was my son, JoJo, and me in a left in the drone of fans. It could have been worse. We could have stopped for milk shakes and taken even more time to get home. Even though we were gone for just fifteen minutes, one-third of the house was flooded. The sound of seventeen fans was so overpowering that I had to sleep with my earbuds in just to hope to hear the alarm the next morning. I learned much from JoJo and the Bible has its thoughts on how to handle these situations.

James 1:2-3
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Bad situations are never fun, unless we are able to look at these through the eyes of a dog like JoJo. If the water would have gotten any deeper, he would have put on flippers, goggles, and his snorkel. From the human side, once I realized I couldn't undo what had already happened, and instead focused on how to resolve the issue, I was at peace, and even laughing. Sometimes we like to read into why bad things happen. Jesus shared that time and chance happen to all.

Luke 13:1-5
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

There are those who think that bad things happen only to bad people, and life isn't like that. Sometimes bad things happen to people who are no different than everyone else, and sometimes bad things happen to those who are very good. What's hard to accept is when good things happen to those who are evil, and all of these events happen each and every day. Sometimes life is what we make it, and sometimes life is about how we respond to what happens to us.

Ecclesiastes 9:11
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

It was time and chance that caused the water supply line to burst while I was away from the house. It was also time and chance that I returned home before there was extensive damage. How JoJo responded was with willing enthusiasm, and my son was quite the trooper. What time and chance does not impact is how we respond to the situations that life throws our way, and the more we can understand that how we respond to bad situations is totally on us, the more we can ask God to help us get through difficult times, and when we do this, we are able to celebrate what is good, embrace what is good, and do what is good.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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