I Determined the Exact Time of Your Birth and Where You Would Live

March 13

Acts 17:26 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”

I am grateful for electricity and all the luxuries I have because of it.  Without electricity, life as I know it would be very different.  I would not be able to easily control the temperature in my house by simply pushing a button.  Grabbing a cold glass of milk from the refrigerator or an ice cream bar from the freezer would be much more difficult (impossible) than it is for me today.  Heating something quickly in the microwave wouldn’t even be an option.  So many things would not be possible today if it were not for electricity.

At times I wonder how people 100 years ago survived.  How did they live without electricity?  How did they survive the heat and humidity we get here in the Midwest?  Didn’t they freeze in the wintertime?  Of course, they didn’t have any of the “electric luxuries” we have today.  They did what they had to with what they had.  I can’t imagine what they endured.  God, in His wisdom, marked my time in history to enjoy the benefits of electricity and the conveniences that are a result of it.  He also determined I would be born in the Midwest (enduring 4 distinct seasons), and for 52 years continue to live here.  

The older I get, the more I grumble and complain about the winter season.  I have a greater understanding - and appreciation - of why some people are “snowbirds” living in Arizona or Texas for the winter months. I often tell my children I’d have no problem living somewhere warm during the winter months and can easily see myself celebrating Christmas somewhere on a warm and tropical beach.  But, in the meantime, Northwest Iowa is the place I call home and where God has placed me.  Perhaps someday I may call a different place home, but until that time, I have a choice to make.  I can either complain and grumble about the weather and what I don’t like about where I currently reside, or I can challenge myself to see it as where God wants me right now using the gifts, talents, and skills He has blessed me with to make a difference in the lives of other people.  Perhaps someday I’ll reside where there are only two or three seasons, but in the meantime, may I be grateful for where God has determined I live.  May I seek to serve and glorify Him (even in the frigid winter temps).  Praise God for the plans that He has for me!