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Three Days


Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (Exodus 15:22-24)

           I don’t know what Bible verse to pick today, so I’m going to try this in reverse. I’ll write whatever seems to come to mind and see if it triggers. This morning is a morning when I don’t want to be angry, but I’d sure like to have the energy and determination that anger seems to provide. It’s a morning when I would like a knight in shining armor to come along and – well, perhaps not make everything better, but at least make some things better. It’s a morning for peevish whining, not because I’m in any particular pain, but just because. …and just like that, the passage shows up.
          Israel passed through the Red Sea on dry ground. They saw the Egyptians drowned. They celebrated, with Moses leading the choir. Life was good, for that moment. After that, they traveled for three days, still following the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud, still following Moses, but times got tough. No water for three days. Looking at that from outside, that doesn’t seem so difficult, until you remember there were kids, and senior citizens, and lots of other people. They weren’t grumbling about nothing. It was serious business.
          In my mind, I’m not grumbling about nothing either. It might not be as serious as going without water for three days, but when I find myself in a desert, and my needs and wants are not being provided, I grumble. One of the things I’ve been trying to remind myself over the past six weeks is how quickly “reality” changes. In the morning, we can be doing pretty well. In the evening, we’re in the emergency room. The last trip had some blessings in it. The hospitalist in charge of where Dad was brought in his urologist, his cardiologist (who took him off blood thinners), and an expert on wounds to deal with his toe. We also had a case manager who got through the mountain of paperwork needed to get a companion chair (wheel chair with 4 small wheels) for him. It’s to be delivered this afternoon. The way was cleared to make some progress we couldn’t have made if we hadn’t been in the hospital for those three days.
          Three days can make all the difference, like between crucifixions and resurrections. Something to keep in mind when you’re in a “desert” without “water.”

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