🧭 Gathered Along the Way | When the Water Keeps Rising

🧭 Gathered Along the Way | When the Water Keeps Rising

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Good morning, Compass friends. 🧭🤍

Rain, rain, go away.

No, seriously.

GO. AWAY.

We’ve had days and days of heavy rain here on the Treasure Coast. Not the sweet little afternoon showers that cool things off and leave everything looking fresh.

I’m talking about the kind of rain that just keeps coming.

The ground is saturated. Water is standing where water has no business standing. And neighborhoods and properties all around us are dealing with flooding.

And this time, it’s hitting especially close to home.

My Florida girl and her family live on my best friend’s ranch.

And right now, that property is heavily flooded.

They’re all working to relocate horses and livestock to safer ground. The chicken coop is flooded. There’s water everywhere, animals to worry about, decisions to make, and approximately a thousand things that need attention.

My son-in-love’s business equipment, trailers, tools and storage containers are all on the property - they’re flooding and they are running out of high ground to move equipment to. There will be losses…

And while I can usually find a little humor in just about anything, there’s nothing funny about watching people you love try to protect their home, their livelihood, their animals, and everything they’ve worked so hard for.

🧭 Compass Heading: When Life Gets Deep, Love Shows Up

I’ve been thinking about how quickly an ordinary day can change.

One minute, you’re going about your business.

The next, you’re figuring out where to move horses, how to keep the livestock safe, and what on earth you’re going to do about a chicken coop sitting in water.

There isn’t a neat little instruction manual for days like these.

And even if there were, I’m fairly certain it would be floating somewhere across the pasture by now.

But here’s what I keep coming back to.

We can’t always stop the water from rising. But we can help one another through it.

Sometimes that means bringing a trailer.

Sometimes it means offering dry ground for animals.

Sometimes it’s an extra pair of hands, a hot meal, a phone call, or checking on a neighbor whose property is underwater.

And sometimes it’s simply remembering that just because our own driveway is passable doesn’t mean the people down the road are doing fine.

Flooding doesn’t affect everyone equally.

One family may be dealing with a soggy yard while another is trying to save their animals, belongings, or home.

We need to remember to look beyond our own front doors.

From My Heart

It’s one thing to see flooding on the news.

It’s another to know the people standing in it.

To know the animals they’re trying to move.

To know the place where so many memories have been made.

The ranch isn’t just a piece of property to our family. It’s a place filled with people we love, animals that depend on them, and a whole lot of life.

And right now, the focus isn’t on getting everything back to normal.

It’s on getting everybody somewhere safe.

The cleanup can come later.

The repairs can come later.

Right now, people and animals come first.

And to everyone else in our community dealing with flooding, please know you’re on our hearts, too.

Whether you’re moving livestock, watching water creep toward your house, dealing with impassable roads, or simply exhausted from trying to keep up with it all, we see you.

And we’re praying for you.

🧭 Compass Thought

There’s something about rising water that reminds us just how little control we really have.

We can prepare. We can plan. We can work ourselves silly trying to stay ahead of it.

But some things are simply bigger than our plans.

And that’s when we’re reminded how much we need God.

And one another.

I’ve been thinking about the difference between saying, “Let me know if you need anything,” and looking around to see what we can actually do.

Because when somebody is overwhelmed, sometimes figuring out what to ask for becomes one more thing on an already impossible list.

Maybe the most loving question isn’t just What do you need?

Maybe it’s Can I bring dinner? Can I help move something? Can I make a phone call?

Love doesn’t always arrive with an answer.

Sometimes it arrives with a pot of soup.

Sometimes a pair of boots.

And right now, there are plenty of places those boots could be useful.

🧭 Compass Verse

Isaiah 43:2 (NASB 1995)

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”

I love the promise in those words.

Not that we will never face difficult things.

Not that every storm will pass before it reaches our doorstep.

But that God will be with us through them.

That’s a promise worth holding tightly when everything around us feels uncertain.

🧭 Compass Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We lift up our neighbors and everyone dealing with the flooding across our community.

I especially ask You to watch over my girl and bestie and their families, and everyone working to protect the animals and property at the ranch.

Please provide safe places for the horses, livestock, and chickens. Give everyone strength, wisdom, patience, and the help they need to make difficult decisions.

Protect those traveling flooded roads and those working in dangerous conditions.

Comfort the families watching water rise around their homes. Provide helping hands, practical resources, and relief from this relentless rain.

And Lord, help those of us who are able to help recognize where we’re needed.

Let us be people who don’t simply notice a need, but respond to it with love.

Amen. 🤍

To our Treasure Coast neighbors: How are you holding up? Are you dealing with flooding, or do you know someone who could use a helping hand?

Let’s look out for one another.

Notice More. Love Well. Gather Often.

Find Your Way Home.
~Karen / The Twisted Compass