Yesterday was Groundhog Day, that day when we look to a rodent in Pennsylvania to reassure us that spring will be here soon. I understand that Phil the Groundhog has determined that spring will arrive sooner rather than later.
I'm in Florida this week. I'm not sure if any local groundhogs ventured out yesterday morning (or even if there are any groundhogs in Central Florida), but if there are groundhogs here, and if they ventured out yesterday morning, they were greeted by dense fog which may have affected their prognostications. Eventually we experienced a gloriously sunny day, with temperatures in the mid-80s, which is decidedly spring-like in my book.
I'm not sure why we continue to trust our weather forecasting to a rodent, but every year we wait with great anticipation to see what he has to tell us. I heard on a radio broadcast yesterday that the groundhog is right 39% of the time, which doesn't seem like a particularly good track record to me. Yet still we wait each February for the rodent's forecast.
Monday night was the beginning of the presidential election process. I know, you thought we had already spent at least a decade on the 2016 election! In any event, Iowans went to their caucuses on Monday night, and the results did not exactly match the pundits' predictions. I don't have a percentage, but I suspect that their track records are not much better than the groundhog's. Yet we continue to watch them, to listen to them, and to hang on their every word.
That rodent in Pennsylvania is wrong more than he is right. For all their pontificating and prognosticating, those pundits rarely get it exactly right either, no matter how much they bluster and no matter how many entrance and exit polls they take.
The weather will be what it is. The groundhog is not in control of that.
Politics will continue to be what it is. Candidates will continue to debate and bluster and point fingers. Eventually each of us will get to express our opinion. And no matter how many polls are taken by or about each candidate, the only poll that really matters is the one in November.
Until then, we may or may not have an early spring. There may be much more winter to come. There will be foggy days and cloudy days and rainy days and sunny days. No matter what the weather, no matter what the politicians do or don't do, no matter the circumstances of life, each day is a precious gift from God.
I intend to enjoy my day. I hope you do, too!
"This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24 NASB)
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