Power Outage April 15, 2013

With the recent power outage some families were left scrambling to make arrangements to deal with the lack of power they were experiencing.  It was a bit of a paradox, the power we rely on was temporarily severed due to the power and forces of nature.  Trees came crashing down, houses and vehicles were damaged, and power lines and poles were left mangled and tangled in the aftermath.  In these situations we have opportunities to show our love and care for neighbours in need.  Our children watch how we react to the needs of others nearby and far away.  This was one of those moments that we could put on the clothes of Christ and mix in a bundle of compassion, a heap of kindness, a measure of humility, gentleness and a generous amount of patience. 

Here is one example from this past weekend.  Friday evening, after hydro workers had worked steadily at restoring power, a hydro truck became stuck in the soft ground. This worker had been out for more than 24 hours straight.  A few individuals saw what was going on and went over to see if they could be of any assistance.  The three worked at digging out tires, placing planks and even using a pickup truck and a rope to try to pull the rig loose but it was to no avail.  The call was about to be made to a towing company when in the distance, not too far off, was someone driving a tractor down the road dragging a chain that was dancing and clanging on the pavement.  This guy had seen the troubles when he had passed by the obviously immobile truck.  When he got home he immediately jumped in the tractor to come and help out.  This instance demonstrates how compassion and kindness can be played out in our everyday lives.  I am thankful for Christians who jump in tractors to help out others and expect nothing in return.  I pray that my children will hear and see these events and take opportunities to live them out as well.  We pray that our students will show these characteristics on the bus, on the playground, in the classrooms and in their communities.  May the Spirit continue to work in all of our lives to convict us to act on these moments and opportunities.