A few weeks ago, I told you the hubby and I were visiting Montreal, and it was hot! Forty plus Celsius. On Sunday, we went to visit a family friend (and a faithful blog reader — he’s gonna be so excited I mentioned him :)) As we were enjoying his back porch, catching up on old times, the rains finally came in. And then it came down. Torrents of water filled the old Montreal streets and quickly overwhelmed the storm drains. Our friend received a call that his church basement was quickly flooding… so we all braved the downpour and headed over. We arrived to find the afternoon’s Spanish congregation mopping frantically. Amidst attempts at shuffling the lunch potluck and emptying mop buckets back out to the street, we managed to get the flood somewhat under control. I giggled when the Spanish guys tried to Google translate messages to me from Spanish to French when we all spoke English… but we made do, and with mostly hard work and a few shop vacs, got the floors mostly back to “normal”. They have a hard road ahead dealing with the municipalities and church government to plan for future floods.

To make matters worse, after that few hours of soggy labour, we returned to our rented room to find wet throw rugs and puddles in our basement abode! It wasn’t a huge disaster, and although none of our belongings were affected, our host graciously discounted our time significantly for “our troubles”. As I dotted our room with slippery footprints, and hauled towels and throw rugs into the shower stall, I mused: God is still in control, but a little rain can easily change our circumstances. We build tall buildings and establish our roots, only to have them quickly washed away in major floods and mudslides.

We’ve watched a few documentaries about flooding. The news certainly shares its moments of this or that disaster and the rescue efforts in the wake of tsunami’s and flash floods. People have been swept away so suddenly; lives lost in a blink of an eye. Others loose everything but their lives. And then the aftermath. Clean ups hundreds of times the scale of our little church basement episode. Waterborne diseases and filth and mold, mud and … well, you get the picture. Water can be so life giving on one hand; we need it for our very survival, but so devastating at the same time.

The great internet tells me that the most horrific flood in history was the 1931 floods in Yangtze, Yellow and Huai Rivers in China. The death toll was estimated between 1 million and 4 million people. God promised He would never send another world wide flood to destroy the Earth, but 4 million people is a significant dent. Plus the after effects of disease etc. Yeah, sobering thoughts. So, can floods, like wildfires, have benefits?

Again, the internet tells me flooding can replenish our groundwaters, wetlands and transport much needed micronutrients to the soil. Dry land, when flooded, can spark new growth or animal re-population. Much like the Biblical description of flourishing trees of abundant fruit, planted near streams and overflowing riverbanks, the water source once again revitalizes life.

Alas, what do we learn, my friend? I’m about to self talk because it’s been a tough week for me. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by a “flood” of things filling my mind with doubts and sadness. So, here we go:

1. God is still in control and we can trust His promises.
2. Tiny floods mean we need to work together to get the job done.
3. Sometimes the rain is needed and is refreshing.
4. Find your security. Don’t get swept away. Be prepared, for a time of flash flood can happen quickly, and catch you by surprise.
5. When it is all over and the dry land once again appears, it will be in a state of replenishment, and new growth will result.

I am reminded of Ezekiel’s description of the flood waters flowing from the Temple in Chapter 47: with its many trees growing along its riverbank, for it makes the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh again, and there will be swarms of living things and life abundantly wherever this water flows. Be blessed and refreshed my beloveds.