Storing up treasures in heaven... except for shoes. I love my shoes.

I was laughing earlier with a friend about how my last blog post probably didn't make any sense. (She inspired the title of this post--I told her I spent time saying goodbye to my apartment during a tornado warning yesterday, and that while I know I should store up treasures in heaven, I will really miss my shoes if they blow away in a storm!) I wrote the last post during a tornado warning, sitting in a pile of laundry at the bottom of my closet, listening to live feed of the local weatherman, and trying really hard to concentrate on God instead of on my mounting panic. I just went back and read it, and I was surprised to discover that I didn't sound nearly as scattered as I felt. I made it safely out of the storm and I still have all those same questions about discernment... and now there's yet another night of bad weather heading our way, so really this week has come full circle. I'm back where I started.

When did I become so afraid of storms? I used to love them. I loved listening to the rain and counting the seconds between the lightning and the claps of thunder. I loved a power outage, as long as it didn't last too long. Growing up in Tornado Alley, I have many fond memories of reading by flashlight as we hunkered down in the back stairway or the downstairs bathroom. Maybe it's because I live by myself... or because I live on the second floor... or because I can't tear myself away from the TV and those scary weather maps... whatever it is, I have become extremely nervous about bad weather.

I think we're suffering from bad weather information overload. A few weeks ago, we had a tornado warning during the school day, and we had to evacuate all the children into the halls. It looked downright terrifying outside--there had to be something out there. But I stayed calm. I encouraged kids who looked scared, I explained the difference between tornado watches and warnings to some inquisitive third grade girls, I chatted with coworkers. I'd like to think I did all of this because I understood the importance of remaining calm and looking unworried in front of the children, but I don't think that was it. I really think it was just because I had no idea what was going on outside. Did you know that meteorologists can track a storm's location to the exact street? That's crazy! I found my exact location on Google Maps yesterday, compared it with the weather map on TV, and decided I wasn't moving to my safe spot until my exact street was under attack. The weather people are making me neurotic. The tornado sirens went off yesterday not because a tornado had actually been spotted, but because the weather radar indicated that conditions may in the future produce something resembling a tornado. What...? Today, the national weather service has basically created a new color on the map to emphasize how much danger we are all in. In case you're wondering what's worse than red, it's white. What on earth is coming our way?! We have about four hours until this tornadopocalypse happens, and I don't know what to do with myself. I'm a nervous wreck. If only I didn't know what was coming!

And, funny, the one thing I never remember to do when I get in storm panic mode is take it to God. I get too worked up to ask Him to calm me down. It makes me think of that song-"No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to this Rock I'm clinging..." I'm praying today for safety for the Mid-South, and I'm praying that I will spend tonight remembering to cling to my Rock, instead of worrying about weather events that are entirely out of my control.