It seems the song is right, “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” Here in Texas, we are waiting and praying for rain. With an ongoing drought that is said to be the worst in 44 years, talk of water conservation has been replaced with talk of water restrictions. My lawn could be considered “exhibit A” if you were trying to illustrate the effects of heat and drought conditions in my area.
Some towns have fared worse than others. Kemp, Texas has been hit particularly hard after some broken water mains wasted a large amount of the remaining water in the town. Suddenly, everyone in Kemp is very aware of the importance of water. People throughout the state are paying extra attention to their water consumption. Many are looking for ways to reduce the amount of water they use and waste.
This is what parents and teachers call a “teachable moment”. At times like this, it’s much easier to see the effects of our water conservation efforts. We can see how saving drops or even a gallon of water today can help our neighbors or ourselves have enough water for tomorrow. It’s easier to see how each one of us can make a true difference.
When water is abundant, it’s harder to see how one of us can make a difference on our own. But, the small actions do add up. They do make a difference. In much the same way as combining our prayers together makes them more powerful and pleasing to God, combining our actions to conserve makes them more powerful and pleasing to God as well.
So, I ask you to combine your conservation efforts and your prayers with mine to make both of our efforts more powerful and more pleasing to God.
For some ideas of how you can conserve water, click here.
Pray with me:
God our Creator, Maker of all things and protector of your people, in your love look upon us in our time of need and give us your help. Open the heavens for us and send us the rain we need for our crops, our livestock and our well-being. As our hearts long for you, so we seek rain to refresh the earth; as we long for life, so let the earth produce its harvest in abundance. May we rejoice in the good things of the earth and raise our eyes to you, in the source of all blessings. Hear our cry for mercy and answer our prayer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: The National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague
Blessings,
Laura
Laura B Nelson 