Ginny And Me And Two Prophets

About 2,500 years ago, the prophet Haggai peeked into the future and saw Ginny and me.

He spoke in that day and time directly to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, but I think he was talking about us in this modern day and time.

He said, “Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes”.

Did you get that reference?

Earning money and putting it in a bag with holes in it.

Yesterday, while I put in an extra day’s work reducing over 2,000 pages of notes on Jacksonville’s fire history into a 300-page book, Ginny babysat with our car at the garage—that cost about $600.

No problem.

There’s plenty more where that went.

Less than an hour after she got back home, our 18-year-old central heat and air system heaved inside the walls and died.

Big bucks.

Blowing in the wind.

Bag with holes.

We work hard to get to where we was.

Fortunately, about three weeks ago our daughter Eve brought us a fan she was not using. I stuck it in the hall closet thinking we had no need of it.

We do.

Temperature is pushing 90.

Since Hurricane Hanna passed to the east of us, and Hurricane Ike appears to be headed to the west of us, the two tropical systems suck every bit of moisture and breeze away from this area.

We’ve got to do something about that air conditioner—or not.

Our survival does not depend on it, only our comfort and our computers. (My computer fan whirls big time this morning).

Even with outlaying cash we don’t have, we remain happy.

We spent a delightful afternoon hanging out in Dave’s Diner sipping ice tea and talking about books and fishing, ACs and storm preparations, birthdays and anniversaries.

So, our money bag has a hole in it.

I think its always had such a hole; you could backtrack through our years following the trail of dropped silver coins. The money trail shows where we’ve been and who we are and the general direction we’re headed in.

I doubt that it’s to the poor house. Car, hurricane expenses, prescription medicines and home repairs not withstanding.

All around us I hear of job losses, banks foreclosing on homes, families being evicted, storms forcing evacuations, sickness, disease and death.

Yes times are hard.

Times are always hard, one way or another.

Like the old saying goes, “Everything gets harder and harder--except for me”.

Yet there is hope.

And more than hope, joy.

That brings me to the other prophet I’ve been remembering this morning as I reflect on our financial situation.

The Prophet Habakkuk also spoke about 2,500 years ago.

He directly addressed somebody else, but I think he also was speaking to Ginny and me—and to you also, Dear Reader.

Here’s what he said:

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
Neither shall fruit be in the vines;
The labour of the olive shall fail,
And the fields shall yield no meat;
The flock shall be cut off from the fold,
And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength,
He will make my feet like hinds' feet,
He will make me to walk upon mine high places”.