Proverbs 27:12 A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
Proverbs 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
Proverbs 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
Hard times do not surprise the Proverbs 31 woman because she has considered the situation, planned ahead, and prepared for it. Albeit, she didn't have to worry about bombs at public events, but her world was a safer place. With 353 shootings in the US in 2015 alone, we do have the concern of mass shootings. We need to make a conscious decision on how we will react to this threat to our families. We can react with fear, or we can react with faith and wisdom.
One of the questions frequently asked on the Christian women's forums I am on is "How can/should we prepare our families to survive terrorist attacks through mass shootings or through our food/water supply chains?" As I read through the responses that range from the simple "we can't" to the very extreme, I can't help but think society is turning us mothers into Sarah Connor. The signs tell us a storm is coming. We sigh "I know." Then, we keep moving forward while preparing our families the best way we know how. One way we can do that without spending any money is through situational awareness.
Situational awareness is a higher awareness of what is going on around you in any given situation. It is a life skill that can help you when working with large animals, to driving, to walking in the forest, to keeping the baby from getting into harm's way, or being in a crowd at a sporting event. You probably already use situational awareness in some way or other. It is easy to build upon something you already use. Like most skills, it takes time and practice to become proficient. Even a small improvement, like learning where all exits are located in a building as soon as you enter it, could be a deciding factor to survival in a natural or man-made disaster.
Clint and I don't teach our children with fear but with the attitude that we can help ourselves and others by learning to be more aware. Our faith is in the Lord, but like the Proverbs wife and ant, we know it is prudent to be prepared for difficult times. Dad might act a little suspicious when he gets home from work. If you don't identify the abnormal behavior before he tags you with a sticky note, you are out of the game. Mom might be hiding a water bottle in her pocket, and if she squirts you before you identify the threat, you are the most unaware. If you do identify it, you win! We may ask if it a man or woman who dropped a can on the floor in the grocery store? What aisle where they in? If there is a poacher* in our woods while you are working out back, what objects will you stay behind as you make your way to the house? What was the make and model of the car that was weaving as the driver was texting? We can teach our children how to a play board game that entertains, or we can have fun while giving them a skill that will help them in many of life's areas.
The hard truth is that there are evil people in this world who want to harm others. The Bible says it the simpleton (a foolish or gullible person) who ignores the danger. Just as we practiced "stranger danger" with our young children so they would not only be prepared, but also have a practiced plan, we are teaching them to be aware in every situation and to plan ahead. We may not be as desparate as Sarah Connor, but many of us parents are acknowledging the trouble on the horizon by preparing our children for the world they are inheriting.
* a very real threat for us We've had one shoot through the yard as Brandon was coming to the house from feeding animals. We had another shoot into our barn.
