The Dangers of Wishful Thinking

While on the elevator today, I overheard some people talking about the cold-front that hit our city this morning and the expected rain/sleet/snow to come tonight. Then moments later, my counterparts began discussing the possibilities of inclement weather causing our offices to shut-down, thus resulting in an off-day tomorrow. Of course, everyone in the office is working with anticipation of being off on the company dime, but I just don't feel the same excitement. Why?

Well, historically when we have bad weather in Dallas, its normally in the form of sleet and 2-4 inches of snow that really don't stick but cause dangerous driving conditions on the roads and bridges. Because Dallas is such a big city, everything and everyone is spread out from one side of the metroplex to the other, resulting in 98% of Dallas residents commuting to/from work. EVERY SINGLE TIME this happens, the weather becomes the top story on newscasts all day with "Breaking Reports" interrupting regular programming… reports that list school/office closings and caution people to stay off the roads unless it's a dire emergency. That being said, I just cant celebrate this "good news" of bad weather because well…

Someone's son/daughter will have a fatal car accident. Because of the possible school closings some child who looks forward to retreating to school as a safe-haven from their unhealthy home environment, will be forced to stay in the house all day… maybe alone or maybe in the company of people who do him/her harm. It's a stretch, but it happens. For many people, tomorrow's inclement weather wont be welcomed. Tomorrow, because of the weather and subsequent hazardous conditions, someone will suffer and someone will die.

As I began really thinking about this, other "wishful thinking" phrases popped into my head. We all are guilty of the overused "I'm ready for FRIDAY!" or "I cant wait for the weekend!" A few years ago, I stopped saying this when God cautioned me that I REALLY don't know WHATS lying ahead… and that anything and I mean ANYTHING could happen on Friday to set our world's into complete chaos. Does the surprise of 9/11 ring any bells? I'm sure someone on those fated flights just couldn't WAIT to jump onboard for their trips cross-country. And what about the terminally-ill cancer patient whose been given 6 months to live and for them, Friday marks their expiration date. Most of us think Friday sybolizes our chance to LIVE IT UP even though for others, it's the day their expecting to die.

I'm definitely not saying walk around with a pessimistic view of the world, and to not HOPE for good times and moments of relaxation. What I am saying is that, we should all be mindful of those who don't have life as good as we do and to not take for granted what TODAY means to us. Its only by the grace of God that we've made it safely to this moment and it's crucial that we each remember to take full advantage of the today we've been blessed with. If it does turn out that we get tomorrow off and the city shuts-down, lets all try to do something selfless for someone we encounter… especially strangers. The true measure of love is when you do someone for someone who can't do ANYTHING for you.
1 Life. 1 God. 2 Hands…
Give Love.
SG