{ Do not fear, but be prepared }

I wish I could say that I am having a great day, or that my heart is full of joy.  The truth however, is that my heart is heavy, and my soul burdened with the current situation in Ukraine.  It is mind boggling to me that in this day and age, we are still observing these kind of wars, these kind of invasions and total disregard for human life.

Here we are, sitting in a warm house, safe, joyful and free, while thousands of miles away, mothers are trying to soothe their children under the sound of sirens and explosions, and husbands and fathers are picking up arms, and preparing to fight for their nation.  It really is heartbreaking.

But my heart breaks for the citizens of Russia as well, because they too did not choose this at all, and are also being thrown into the middle of this conflict.  

As Christians we have to pray, pray for the innocent lives that will be caught in the crossfire of this senseless war.  We also need to pray for the people in power of both nations, for discernment, for wisdom, that the Holy spirit speaks to their hearts and they listen to God.

So although our hearts may feel broken or burdened, we are not to be fearful.  We need to prepare because if you have ever studied history or researched wars of this kind or any kind, for that matter, it ends up having an effect on everyone.  It has a trickling effect that absolutely touches every nation in the world.

So we pray, and we prepare.  Make sure that you are stock piling, even if you can only afford a few extra cans of soup when you get groceries, that's fine.  Just remember that gas prices will soar even more, it will affect food chains, and so on.  This isn't meant to scare anyone, but we need to be keeping our eyes on God, and praying ourselves, our families and the rest of the world, though this season.

I'll close in saying, remember to read Matthew 24:6.   

 

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

 

The winter storm we've been under, is still hanging on.  Our roads are so icy, so icy, that we are pretty much stuck at home without being able to leave.  Traveling is tricky, I have seen many videos of traffic on the highways sliding and struggling to stay on the road.

Thankfully the snow and ice stopped last night, but the temperatures are still pretty cold, and without sun and warmth to start melting the ice, we may just be stuck again tomorrow.

Schools in the area have been closed all week, and so has the base.  

I tell you, I love winter, but at this point, I'm ready for it to leave, take it's snow and ice and let spring come alive.  

As we were all sitting around talking about what is happening, Nick made a comment that made us laugh, because he said that it's my moment to shine, if things get difficult.  He said that I have spent years reading up on history, learning about the great depression, world war I and II, wartime recipes, rationing and so forth.

I found it funny that he said that.  But truly, the more I think on it now, the more I realize that all that knowledge I learned about in books and documentaries, really can come in handy were we to be thrust into similar situations or difficult times.  The prices of everything right now are already quite bad, and if they continue to rise, I definitely need to take a look at our budget, and start figuring out what to feed my family with the food I am able to get.  

I've even thought that maybe I could do a fun series over here on the blog and together with the food blog too, on easy, cheap meals, ration recipes, wartime and so on.  It would be educational for us all, but also provide some ideas on inexpensive meals to make.

If I do decide to do that, I will need to do a lot more research, but I think it could be interesting.

 

For dinner tonight we are keeping it easy, everyone wants to do just leftovers, or sandwiches or cereal.  I guess no one is very hungry for a big meal, which is fine with me.  I will probably have a cup of tea and a sandwich later.

 

Right now, I am going to read my devotional for today and my Bible, and then probably read my book.  I haven't felt much like watching anything on TV, nothing is catching my interest today.

 

I am praying I wake up to clear roads tomorrow, so that we can all get back on track, back to work and our normal routines.

 

Have a wonderful rest of Thursday.  Please remember to stop for a few minutes and pray for the people of Ukraine, Russia and the world in general.  We all need prayer right now.