If the Lord has told us repeatedly to store food for a coming time of need, and we ignore it, or half-heartily do it, what does that say about us? Why is it so hard to follow this counsel?
What excuses do we have?
Ahh, the excuses are many:
It costs money, and our budget is tight.
Do we have a tv? (or 2?) That cost money. Did we not buy a VCR, then a DVD player? Do we have computers, video games, movies, ipods, ipads, etc, etc, etc? Why is the lure of entertainment more important to us than storing food?
Because we are a nation, a people who don't want to go without; we want our toys.
When I think of the amount of money I have spent on clothes instead of food storage. . .
(Does it matter that I buy my clothes, jewelry, shoes at garage sales? I have still chosen to buy something that will have no value when I am going hungry. - yeah - I totally love my collection of shoes, and it is hard to not buy a cute pair when they are only $1!!!!
But I have spent enough one dollar bills that I could have bought a solar oven! (one of the things on my wish list)
It all comes down to choice.
I believe we are spoiled beyond belief. The stores are full of things to buy.
Food- we can buy any variety of food imaginable. And it's unimaginable that food will somehow disappear.
We are fooling ourselves if we think it will always be the way it is now.
Actually, we are getting warnings that things could change in an instant -with natural disasters, rising food costs, etc.
Are we really that clueless?! What does God have to do to get our attention?????
We know it's important, and we will get around to it.
(we're always in a time crunch)
The problem with this excuse is that there is never a good time to work on storing food. It takes time and effort to think about and plan, and most of us are just so busy. Packing this into our already hectic day is just too much! We want to, but are hounded by the other pressing things on our TO DO lists.
We procrastinate and procrastinate thinking that we will have time, sometime, to somehow do this too.
I remember when my kids were little, and I was in the thick of diapers, driving, and all that having a large family entails. My 72 hour kits consisted of empty backpacks sitting in the closet. I wanted to work on them - have them full of everything we need in case we had to leave quickly. It just seemed that there was never enough time to get to that project. I was very lucky (blessed) that we never had to actually use them. We would have been in big trouble if we had.
I think most of us do believe that the time to prepare is running short.
What we really won't believe is if (when) we run out of time! Will we stand there in utter amazement and say "Wait! I was just going to. . . . . buy that hundred pounds of wheat!" ?
Is it really going to be someday too late????
Building up a year's supply takes time, and unless you have lots of money and can buy everything you need at once, it is done a little at a time.
Does that mean I should just give up?
No!
Doing it now, a little bit at a time, is better than not doing it at all.
1 bucket of wheat or beans is better than no buckets.
And what about the blessings of being obedient? Was getting food storage a commandment?
Is that why so many of us ignore the counsel- because we feel it is a suggestion, and not a commandment?
Is the Lord testing us - to see if we will be faithful and obedient in the procuring of food storage?
Could this be about more than the physical blessings we would receive by having food storage?
Maybe one of the blessings we have received for having a year's supply of food, is not ever having to use it!
It comes down to time and money. If we are severely lacking in both, and we are doing everything in our power to be obedient to this counsel to store food, the Lord will help us do so.
I know that is true in my own life.
Looking back, I am amazed at what we have accomplished in storing food, when my husband and I have struggled just to live daily life. We have been what others would consider poor, while raising our large family. We didn't go on many vacations, we were careful with our money (for the most part) and I was able to buy what we needed at garage sales - (I got better quality things than I would have gotten if I'd bought them new).
Is that the key? Sacrifice?
Isn't there a scripture about sacrifice and blessings?
"Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven"
(I Googled it:- found in the song Praise to the Man)What are we willing to sacrifice. to obtain our emergency supply of food, water, and everything else we need?
And why would we not sacrifice, to save our family's lives?
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