It had been over ten years since we moved into my office building and the bathroom walls in my office needed cleaning. As I removed some of the posters and viewed the wall underneath, I was struck by the degree that the paint on the wall had faded compared to the adjacent non-covered areas. How could this be, I thought? This room is not exposed to sunlight. The answer was directly above me-the fluorescent light bulbs. The amount of radiation from the fluorescent bulbs is low and can be effectively blocked by wearing a sunblock of at least SPF 2. Nonetheless, even this low level of radiation can be damaging. Good lesson, I thought to myself.
I later reminded my staff of the importance of wearing sunblock, even if we spend the majority of our work time indoors. “It is a good idea to always wear a sunblock on areas that are exposed to light. We tend to forget that the radiation dosage is cumulative over time. Even small exposures add up. See!” I pointed to the color variation on the wall. “It’s that not much, but over time, it can accumulate to lead to potentially devastating consequences, like melanoma and other skin cancers.”
Examples of this important lesson abound in our world. We need to do preventive maintenance on roads and bridges or re-stock proper medical equipment and supplies in hospitals and public health facilities. If these seemingly minimal tasks are not done on a regular and proactive basis, the consequences may be devastating resulting in disasters and even loss of life.
A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Proverbs 6:10-11 (NLT)
When times are good, governments and businesses may become overconfident and less diligent on spending money and time on projects that do not attract a great deal of press and public attention. This short-sighted approach leads to the inexorable accumulation of defects that may balloon into a crisis. We are continually faced with a shortage of personal protective equipment, respirators, and hospital beds. The COVID19 pandemic is another stark example of the truth and wisdom of God’s Word.
It’s not that much.
No, it isn’t. And that is the much larger problem.
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 