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It wasn’t God versus the flood
I realized that the only power and presence on the scene was God.
Originally published for the Christian Science Sentinel online on April 4, 2024
In 1993, a record-breaking flood affected much of the Midwestern United States, and rising river levels inundated the town where my husband and I lived. Many homes, including ours, had floodwater in them for a month. During the flood and throughout the restoration process that followed, we saw clear proof that God, divine Love, is always present to care for His children and to show that good cannot be lost. (To read a full account of this experience, see Victoria M. Fredrickson, “Jesus told us, ‘In the world ye . . . ,’ ” The Christian Science Journal, September 1996, with contributions from Craig R. Fredrickson.)
Two years after that flood, the river began to flood again. Sandbags were filled to protect the homes on our block. Town officials told us to get ready to move everything out of our homes again. I was at home with our two dogs, feeling overwhelmed as I looked at the floodwaters entering the corner of our yard. I couldn’t believe that our house, which had flooded only once in its hundred-fifty-year history, was predicted to be filled with floodwater again!
In the midst of my tears of desperation, I received clear direction from God to affirm out loud what I knew to be true about divine Love’s presence and power. I brought our two dogs into the bedroom and began singing hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal. A verse from one hymn stopped my “pity party” in its tracks:
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