THOUGHTS FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR
THOUGHTS ON CIRRUS CLOUDS
Standing under a bright blue sky in front of the Kansas
Supreme Court on the anniversary of Roe v.
Wade with a large crowd of those standing for the
sanctity of life, I was lulled by the beauty of the day.
Looking across the street at the State Capitol, the
people's house, the seat of our state's government, a
beautiful building albeit the renovations that are still
going on, I thought of Kansas's rich heritage, the
sacrifices and hardships endured to bring us to this
day. It was a perfect warm sunny day, unusual for
January; the warmth of the sun and the brilliance of
the white Kansas Supreme Court Building contrasted
with the bright blue sky were stunning. However, as I
continued to watch the sky, cirrus clouds began to
accumulate; what we used to call "mare's tails"
because of their resemblance to a tail or feathers. I
have always understood that seeing that type of cloud
means there is a change coming . . . sure enough
later that night a front blew in bringing cold weather
and cloudy skies.
Change is normal
A change in the weather is a normal part of our reality;
changes in culture and in governments are part of
human history as well. Empires come and go; people
groups shift and move around; wars and conflicts tilt
alliances, and humanity's noble and ignoble desires
fire revolutions. Cultures go through a cycle in which
great need and privation creates in us a sense of our
limits and our yearning for something better.
Sometimes that works toward good, and sometimes
we settle for something that looks good but is a
camouflaged trap. Utilitarianism drives us to accept
something less than good because we believe that
achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of
people puts us in the right. The financial crisis in our
state and in our nation will drive us either to nobility or
to unworthy solutions to our problems. The clouds of
financial instability rolling in are a warning of a change
to come; will we stand by God-driven solutions or will
we succumb to man's plans?
Are we in control?
We are so easily fooled into believing that we
are "masters of our fate; captains of our soul." We
really want to be able to solve our problems ourselves
in our own way, but that often leads to destruction.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads
to destruction.
Watch for the signs
For those of us watching, cirrus clouds are an
indicator of a change coming; that change could be a
wild thunderstorm, a tornado, or merely a cold front
moving into our area. Until the change comes, we
don't know what we are dealing with at all. Our
country and our state have been fascinated by the
word "change" and "hope", but words that sound good
are just like clouds; they are merely signs. What we
actually get when we long for change may or may not
be what we need or want.
Head for the storm cellar
The change that is coming may be a tornado; we may
be caught up in a vortex that will spew us out onto
foreign territory into places we never intended to go.
Like Dorothy and Toto our journey may be littered with
changes that will leave us breathless and bereft of
hope . . . in humanity's solutions. We may end up with
much less than we hoped for unless we look for the
signs and prepare for the worst that could happen.
Those who are warned can get to safety when a
tornado threatens; those who don't see the signs and
heed the warnings will be swept up into swirling
merciless clouds that will take them places they could
not imagine. We cannot control the weather; we
cannot always control the circumstances, but we can
be ready; we can arm ourselves with righteousness
and justice (our storm cellars) and stand firm when
the winds blow.
God's word endures forever; He is the same
today, yesterday and tomorrow
The sky will not always remain blue; the sun does not
always shine, but God's word (truth) endures
forever.
Think about it.
In Him,
Judy Smith
State Director
Concerned Women for America of Kansas
P. O. Box 11233
Shawnee Mission, KS 66207
Phone/Fax: 913-491-1380
Email: director@kansas.cwfa.org
Web site: kansas.cwfa.org |