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Don't worry, folks, I'm not gonna preach a sermon... well, maybe I am... at least a little... and whether you are a Bible believer or not... you might get a little sumpthin sumpthin out of this little analogy...
This thought has been weighing heavily on my mind... "I've been feeling a little Noah-esque lately." (sometimes I feel a little "Chicken Little" or "Little Red Hen" as well)... but let's get back to Noah...
Good ol' Noah... he could see the winds of change coming way before it started gettin' cloudy (honestly, unlike Noah, the clouds had already begun rolling in a little before I could see, so Noah had a "one up" on me!)
Noah noticed that the world was gettin' ready to experience some serious changes... the weather was gettin' crazy... there were earthquakes where there never had been earthquakes before, mega-storms, sinkholes, animals dying for no apparent reason... the people around him were busy busy busy... having a good time... spending money like it was going out of style, without a thought about what might happen tomorrow... doctors were prescribing all sorts of medication so these busy people could cope with their super busy, speed-of-light lives.
When Noah tried to talk to his friends and family, they didn't want to hear it... they preferred to talk about the latest "Dancing With the Stars" show, or which celebrity just got married for the umpteenth time... They patted Noah on the head, and said, "Dear, sweet Noah... why are you so concerned? Life is good... live it up."
So Noah began to prepare for the days ahead... he learned to can, he learned to dehydrate food, he started saving seeds for planting... he began stockpiling food... and natural medicines (he could so clearly see that the current medical community didn't want to heal, they only wanted the people dependent on their newest medicines)... and he set about finding a way to make his family safe and secure... he started building an ark! An ARK?
"Oh, dear, sweet man... it's never rained before, there's not a cloud in the sky... why would you want to build an ark? Besides, we have police officers and firemen and Homeland Security to keep us safe, you don't have to take this on yourself... we have people for that. And why would you want to stock up all this food and medicine? Why do you think we have markets? and doctors? Silly man."
Noah shook his head and quietly continued his preparations... he tried to teach his friends and family some of the skills he was learning, but they wanted no part of it... they were busy with soccer and work and church, they had no time for these archaic skills... they could much more easily stop off at a drive-through on their way between ballgames and church services. They were polite to Noah when he offered... but their eyes sort of glazed over and inside they chuckled a bit at Noah and his old-fashioned ideas.
A hundred or so years later, the clouds began to form in the sky... and Noah's family and friends said to each other... "Hmmm... Noah may just have something here... but no, it can't be true, it's never happened before, it won't happen... and if it does, we have people who take care of those things... we have a king... he will keep us safe from harm... let's enjoy ourselves and our possessions... and maybe go shopping..."
Ten years later, Noah's family and friends decided that Noah might be a little over the top, but he might have a point... they told him, "Noah, it seems there ARE changes in the world, it IS getting cloudy out there, but I'm sure it's nothing... and if things get bad we have people for that... they will take care of us. C'mon Noah... lighten up, let's watch the latest movie and forget about the world for a little while."
Noah kept on preparing... and began to gather animals together... he enjoyed fresh eggs and milk... and fresh, grassfed meat.
His friends and family said to him... "You're a smart man, Noah... you know how to do so many things... we don't think anything bad is going to happen, but if it does... we'll know where to go! But for now, we need a vacation to some exotic isle... and a new smartphone... and a bigger TV... and dinner out!"
His Christian friends and family told him, "God will take care of us, there's no need for us to be concerned about the future, God will not let harm come to US, we are HIS people!" Noah replied, "God WILL take care of us, but He wants us to do OUR part."
Ten years later... it began to rain...
Then it began to storm...
There was thunder... and lightning like the world had never seen...
Rain fell in buckets...
The earth burst open and water gushed up...
And Noah's friends and family came knocking at the door of the ark... but it was locked... by the hand of God...
I'm sure Noah stood helplessly just inside that locked door, listening to the ones he loved pounding and shouting frantically... and bawled like a baby, wishing he could help his friends and family... but it was too late...
God kept him warm and safe and dry and well-fed because he had listened... and had done his part.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8