Do you remember the Y2k panic in the months before January 1, 2000? People were stockpiling everything from toilet paper to beans ( do you really want to eat 100 pounds of dried beans? ). Uneasiness was everywhere because nobody knew exactly what might happen. Well, nothing much happened, and life went on as normal -except that nobody had to buy toilet paper for a while. I know some overly-prepared folks who are still eating up the buckets of extra grain they stored away, but for most of us those days are long forgotten. Fast forward to the mortgage-failing, bank-closing , stock market-plummeting scenario today. Gas shot up to $5.00 a gallon last week in Knoxville, TN – at the stations that had any gas left to sell. Homes are being lost, jobs are in jeopardy, and no one is sure how or when it will end.
You may have heard about an e-mail circulating which claims that well-known Christian speaker Kay Arthur recently proclaimed that she had had a revelation that a physical famine was coming to America. Even though the e-mail was exaggerated and not what she said, it contains a grain of truth and made me think. Nobody knows how or when the current crisis will end and it may be wise for all of us to follow the example of the woman described in Proverbs 31. It says she “watches over the affairs of her household” and “she can laugh at the days to come.” The only way she could laugh at the days to come would be if she were prepared for whatever might happen.
Would it be prudent once again to stock up on paper necessities and canned goods, and perhaps carve out a corner of the garage for a pantry? I’m not necessarily advocating stockpiling food for a year or more, but maybe 1, 3, or even 6 months. Think of what a comfort it would be if your financial situation suddenly did
change through a job loss or illness, or a storm hit and food supplies were limited, but you didn’t have to be concerned because your family could weather the disaster until the worst was over. This is not the infamous bread and milk run that happens Down South whenever there is a hint of snow, but a more systematic approach to keeping extras of the supplies that your family uses. If you are a once a week shopper and never stock up, then try buying an extra can of one or two items you use each week. Before long, you’ll be able to skip a week of shopping when life gets busy. If you already have a well-stocked pantry for everyday use and want to build a more substantial food supply, start buying some items in bulk, or at least a one month supply of non-perishables. To take it a step further, read an emergency preparedness book such as Jack Spigarelli’s Crisis Preparedness Handbook. This book has an in-depth coverage of food preparation and storage, as well as other aspects of being prepared. The Boy Scouts in your life will be proud – and you will be ready so that you, too, can laugh at the days to come.