The Rains Came Down.....

What happens in school during times of inclement weather? READ ON in this entry  from January 9, 2012.

WOW! Last night in my FACEBOOK status update where I post the topic and link for that day's devotional, I added two postscripts: GO TEXANS (in honor of our big win over the Bengals on Saturday) and as I often do, PRAY FOR RAIN! Some of you must have taken me up on the request and the Lord must have been listening. Across Houston today, we received a consistent five inches of the wet stuff, a much needed blessing in a city which was over two feet shy of normal precipitation in 2011. It's cleared off now but it was a wild day all over town. We had a tornado drill this morning which was perfect timing considering the weather. A series of very strong storms moved through the area and tornado warnings came from the National Weather Service. Since WCS is a K-3 through 12th grade school, that led to some shared space in the interior first floor hallways, away from any glass. I was in the wing below my classroom with a number of high school students and a bunch of very little children, supervised by a group of teachers and administrators. After thirty minutes, the danger had passed and we resumed a much more typical school day. Sunny skies are forecast for tomorrow.

It was interesting watching the group in my designated area. I saw some tears from little ones and later, some of my eighth graders admitted to fear, as well. There was laughter (soft, of course, with hovering teachers) and bewilderment. I saw boredom and even some napping. I could not tell you if we were ever in any real danger but you don't take chances in these kinds of situations. What I thought was fascinating was my consideration of two of our principals, Jennifer White (lower school) and Casey Farris who is over our intermediate and middle school departments. Besides their roles as administrators, both also have spouses who work at Westbury Christian. Even more intriguing to me was that they each also have two small children in our school. I wonder what goes through your mind when you are charged with the welfare of many children and that includes your own? The safety of the group insures the safety of your own flesh and blood. I like to think that's how the Lord looks at me, and all His children, in times of danger. That even in the midst of a calamity, He's got me on His mind, that even then I matter. We endure the tornado drills of life constantly although sometimes we must be unaware. I heard someone say last week that it's a miracle any of us make it to adulthood, that all grown ups are in a sense, survivors. We made it through unscratched today and I know many parents breathed a sigh of relief. I would guess our Father is smiling, too.

Applicable quote of the day:

“There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control.”

Leo F. Buscaglia  God bless, Steve Luke 18:1 www.hawleybooks.com E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com