Guts and Glory

The weather report was leery, if not informative. We had been through this drill before: pack up and evacuate; expect massive flooding and power failures. Irene was somewhat clement by some estimation but lent to a fun, bonding weekend bunking with relatives on the north side. This time, the precursors to Hurricane Sandy rang of similar warnings but experience proved deceptive; many planned to stay, us included.

The evening before one of the worst storms to ever hit the U.S. seaboard charged ashore, a twinkling in my gut forced me to second guess our decision. My husband, a city hospital director, was set to go into the office the next morning irrespective of transportation shut-downs, leaving me with an infant and elderly parent. As the night edged, the tiny inner voice appealed even louder. Reflexively, as if by an unseen force, I assembled our important documents and retrieved our luggage. Addressing his inquisitive glance, I pressed my husband that out of an abundance of caution, we should all travel together in the morning and stay in the boroughs.

By 6:00 a.m., a northerly current ebbed through overflowed streets accumbent to our block. Houses and cars along the banks were already partially submerged. Semi-panicked, we trekked furniture upstairs and hiked up anything soluble before trudging passed, narrowly escaping harbor waters. Including almost universal property damage, many in the community lost homes to flooding or electrical fires and some remained displaced for some time.

How often do we ignore that internal wooing that translates our instincts? Do we flout the natural impulse that informs us to “go the other direction”, “don’t take that job”, “stay away from her”? Often it is a lack of conviction, undue influences, or even the busyness of life that impedes our discernment. It must be understood that such communication is the gateway between our soul and Spirit. Thankfully, through His grace, God is ever present to develop clarity of thought and assist in the intertwining of our own essence with His through the power of prayer, meditation and the word of God. In this place, His peace is unchallenged and surpasses all earthly perception. (Philippians 4:7: “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand”.). Therefore, do good to not allow the elements of distractions, ego, tension, and confusion thwart your determinations but, rather; pray for wisdom and comprehension proving that the soul is the loudest messenger.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires”.