Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department
Hello, and welcome again to the Chaplain’s Corner. Ah, October. Just a few more weeks ‘till cooler weather…uh…no…I should say, deer season. J In the Hill Country the start of deer season is infinitely more predictable that the start of cooler weather and very noticeable: hunters, hunters everywhere. It’s sad that from what I see locally, “hunter” is sometimes just another name for a drunk wearing camo. Whoops, I’m not going to climb on that soap box right now. <ahem>
Predictability: something that peace officers are taught to avoid from the academy onward. Predictability can get you killed. It always amused me in the academy when we were instructed to be random AND unpredictable while on patrol. Randomness is, by definition, unpredictable.
Often predictability and unpredictability coincide, and when they intersect our lives, they often result in tragedy and leave us asking “why?” Why did it have to happen? Why did it have to happen to ME? Why didn’t someone tell me? WHY didn’t I listen? L There are different answers to those questions depending on the tragic event that has unfolded in our lives.
I had occasion to mull over these kinds of questions while working traffic control following an alcohol-related head-on early on a Saturday morning recently. DWI kills. Predictable. Two Ford pickups, 0215 hours Saturday, SH 29 East. Unpredictable. Why did it have to happen to a young man I knew? (Fortunately it was only a single fatality, not a triple, and the one I knew survived.)
But, in my mental wanderings I thought back to Katrina. While it would be impossible to predict how the hurricane would impact each individual’s life, it was obvious that it would impact lives. And so it did. It turned some into heroes, some into fools. It showed what was inside people, either good or bad. Unfortunately, it showed that for some, Mardi Gras was all that was important.
As you probably predicted J, it wasn’t long until I was seeing parallels between the weather forecaster and the preacher. The computer analyzes the historical and current climate data, winds aloft, water temperature (and who knows what else), and generates a prediction of where and when the hurricane will hit and how hard. The forecaster basically just stands up and gives a message that those in the path of the hurricane don’t want to hear. That’s his job. It’s up to the hearer to decide what he or she wants to risk on the prediction being right.
The Christian preacher consults his “computer” that contains centuries of history of God’s dealings with mankind; centuries of history corroborated by archeology and secular history. He then stands up and says, “There’s a hurricane coming.” That’s his job. It’s up to the hearer to decide what he or she wants to risk on the prediction being right.
A Chaplain friend of mine said that a lot of questions he gets asked by the people in his department relate to the End Times. Are we in the “last days”? Yes, I believe we are. And because we are in the last days, the “computer” says there is a “Cat 7 hurricane” coming. We just don’t know when it will hit. The Bible doesn’t say. Jesus just said: “You’ll know when it’s getting close, so be ready.” The Book of Revelation talks about the Great Tribulation. It will be global in scope and not going to be a fun experience by any means.
How does one prepare for a “Cat 7 hurricane?” You turn your life over to God. Now. Before it hits. You ask Him to forgive your past, to come and be a vital, active part of your life and change you into the person He wants you to be. If you ask, in sincerity, He will come.
Predictable: Before “the big one” hits, there will be all sorts of “storms” that touch us one way or another as we go through our lives.
Unpredictable: These “storms” may “rain all over us” or they may hit the “next county over” – our friends or relatives. They may be “light sprinkles.” They may be “major hurricanes.” Many, if not most, will hit with little or no warning like a traffic accident, heart attack or line-of-duty death.
Why? Because we live in this world, where men have a free will and most aren’t concerned about living the way God would have them live.
Having a personal relationship with God does not guarantee us that He will cause the “storms” to go around us or spare us any “damage” from the ones that hit, but in every case He makes it easier to make it through if He’s a part of us.
What’s that? You don’t believe in God? Ok…that’s your prerogative. Some people don’t believe in hurricanes either.
Hey, thanks for spending some time with me. Think about it and I’ll talk with you next “shift.”
Blessings to you and yours.
Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
