Whole Health 4 U

An excellent source of protein is Lean Complete, chocolate or vanilla, and Quadplex.

SEMPER PARATUS–IN PERILOUS TIMES

Why? Why be prepared? Why not just be happy and flow with the tide?

Why make ourselves afraid?

The other day I heard something really interesting on Christian Radio: In the  scriptures the Holy Spirit tells us not to be afraid 366 times.  That’s once for every day of the year, including Leap Year.  Now, recall that when these were written, thousands of years ago, they used the 360 day year.  So, our loving Father provided for us millennia later.  So, FEAR NOT! I AM WITH YOU.

However, He did NOT tell us not to be prepared for problems and emergencies and serious disruptions of our lives:

In 1 Timothy 5:8 He tells us:
“…if anyone does not  provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

In Proverbs 22:3 He tells us:
          “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself;
          The naïve (simple) go on and are punished for it.”

Also in Proverbs 6:6,8 He tells us:
          “Go to the ant, O sluggard,
          Observe her ways and be wise…
          Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.”

I think also of the Proverbs 31 wife who:
         “…extends her hand to the poor,
          And stretches out her hands to the needy.
          She is not afraid of the snow (?read icestorm?) for her household,
          For all her household are clothed with scarlet.”

And finally, in 1 Chronicles 12:32 there are :
“…the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do…”

I think God is clearly showing us that serious problems could lie ahead and we should be preparing…His way.

But, understanding the times right now can be pretty frightening…and cause us to just look the other way, hoping things will get better.  It’s known as the “Normalcy Bias”.

Wikipedia defines the Normalcy Bias:

“The normalcy bias refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster.  It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster… The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred that it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation”

I’ve read that more than 1,000,000 Jews escaped Germany in the 1930s as they saw life crumble around them; but most remained because of the Normalcy Bias, thinking “things will get better” or “nothing really bad will come of this”; there were 6,000,000 of them!

So, as we watch the news unfold—Middle East/N Africa turmoil, revolution, extremism, debt with impending collapse, oil prices rising…

Our Father could certainly intervene and everything would go on just as before…but then,, what if that isn’t His plan?

So, it is important that we learn to take steps now to protect our loved ones, teach the same to our neighbors, and be prepared to help others should the Long Emergency overtake us.

I do want to emphasize that I am NOT talking about the “Bunker Mentality” where we sit with our stockpiled supplies behind concrete walls, rifles trained on any “outsiders”.

The point is to be prepared to take responsibility for ourselves, our families and loved ones, and to reach out, be a part of the solution.

Dr Mom