Dr. Glenn Mollette 

January always brings snow and ice unless you live in the most southern part of the United States. Even then, you aren’t guaranteed to escape January without some harsh weather.

This current mess that came from the west has piled about eight inches of snow and ice on us.  Keeping us inside for a couple of days. So far, we’ve only been without power for one hour, but many others have not been as fortunate.

The best we can do is prepare and hunker down. We need alternative lighting and heat sources. You can almost count on the power to go out sometime in January. Especially if you aren’t prepared. It’s better to be over prepared and not need it than to be underprepared and in danger of freezing to death.

This seems to be one of the golden rules of life. Be prepared. We spend our lives studying and thinking about being prepared. School and education are about learning, developing and training. We study for knowledge but also to be prepared. We try to save money so that we might be prepared for the time when we aren’t able to make any more. The team than wins the game is the team who works hard to prepare mentally and physically.

Every aspect of life is about preparing. The musician, athlete, actor, politician, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, homemaker, and so forth must have a rigid daily routine to experience success.

One reality of life is that there is much for which we can’t prepare.
We hear about cancer but we are never prepared for such a diagnosis. We aren’t prepared for breaking a bone but then we are suddenly faced with months of recuperation. Accidents and hard times can come suddenly and painfully. These are the things in life that come at us suddenly and out of nowhere.  Although they are painful, we have no choice but to face the agony of whatever it is and try to work through it one day at a time.

We prepare for life and we should prepare for death. As long as we live, we have all that comes with life. What about death? We must be prepared for that as well. There are funeral plans we need to make, but most importantly, our eternal plans must be made. Where do you want to spend eternity? Consider, when it comes to the end of our lives and meeting God face to face. Look to him today and prepare your heart and mind. Embrace His gift to us in His son Jesus.

January won’t last forever and there is much excitement in January such as college basketball, NFL playoffs, my birthday if I live, the swearing in of our new President, a raise in Social Security, and many occasions to drink hot chocolate. Don’t miss the hot chocolate and don’t miss the opportunity to take some time for a few naps on these snowy days. God surely gave us January to hibernate a little and rest after the hectic holidays.