Preparedness

I started to think about preparedness in terms of food storage about a year or so ago. I was doing a Bible study on the book of Revelation. It was the first time I had ever read the book of Revelation. I was floored! I must admit, I did start my preparedness efforts from a place of ALL OUT FEAR! Over the past year, however, it has morphed into a peaceful and prayerfully considered journey. I prepare because I yearn to become more self sufficient and independent from others. I don't want the grocery store to determine whether or not I have food. The food system in the US is too fragile in my opinion.

Here's the deal. Let's just imagine some type of disaster happens. Would you be prepared? Would you have enough food to even last three weeks?  It could be a severe earthquake or other natural disaster, loss of employment, war, economic collapse or the tribulations before Jesus comes back(weirdo alert). There is a good chance one of these things may happen in your lifetime. Did you know that grocery stores don't have more than just a few days food, if that? Stores operate on demand, they do not have a large stockpile of food in the back. How long do you think it would last in a crisis situation? If you look at examples of crisis that have happened before, even something as minor as a snowstorm, the shelves are empty in a couple of hours. Do you even want to be in the store during a crisis situation? I sure wouldn't. I would want to be comfortable and safe in my own home.

Preparedness for me, is also about finding new ways for our family to become more self sufficient.  For example, we have chickens, geese and ducks, which provide us with eggs and occassionally meat.  Planting a garden and growing your food is also a very smart choice.  Having animals and/or a garden is healthier, plus you are less dependent on other sources for food.  It's also very satisfying knowing that you were responsible for producing your own food.   

I am not a fear monger, nor do I spend my days worrying about the future. You see, when you become prepared, there is a certain peace you feel. You know that you will be able to feed your family, come what may. Common sense tells me that we should be prepared, that is what people used to do. They preserved their harvest to last them through the winter and beyond. I personally do not want to depend on anyone else, or be a burden to someone else because I failed to be prepared. Food storage also saves money. Buying in bulk is always cheaper and you can stock up when items go on sale. What is the worst that could happen if you got prepared and nothing ever happened? Some extra food.

You can dive as deep as you could imagine in to preparedness. Some people go WAY out there with it and others prepare with enough to ensure food for their family through a crisis. Two great websites to begin with are  preparednesspro.com and thesurvivalmom.com. I encourage you to become better prepared if you haven't already made the choice to do so. It's empowering and peaceful.

This kind of thing really makes me feel like a freak.  Oh well, there are worse things.