Do you remember the old joke, “Where were you when the lights went out? .... In the dark!” I am very grateful to announce that we are no longer in the dark. Well, at least not in the electrical sense. Last night around 6:30 we came home from the church dinner and as we pulled in the driveway I asked Karen if she knew how I checked to see if the power was on, I reached up and pressed the garage door opener and for the first time in three days it started to open. What a tremendous relief that was. After doing the dance of joy, much to the amusement of our neighbors, we went inside to assess if everything worked.
This has been a long and challenging ordeal, but there were so many other people who were not just inconvenienced, but devastated by this hurricane. I first think about the people in the small islands of the Caribbean and Cuba who were first to feel the impact of this monster storm. These are people who really have nothing to begin with and then to watch what little they had blow away or wash away must have been horrifying.
Next I think about the folks down in Galveston and Houston Texas. I watched as the waves were crashing over the storm wall, devastating piers and flooding roads, all while the actual storm was still 200 miles off shore. I watched as the officials almost pleaded with people to leave, telling them that if you stay you will die. I awoke to the images of the tall buildings in Houston totally devastated, with broken windows and debris lining the streets. The sad thing to realize is that in our challenging economy, how many of these business will never reopen?
As I reflect on our own situation and assess our losses, the food in the refrigerator and freezer, and the wasted trip to Ohio, keeping in mind that the trip is no small thing as it takes a minimum of $100 to make that trip each week. I realize how truly blessed that we are. We didn’t loose a loved one, our home is still warm and secure, and we don’t have trees crashed through our roof or collapsed on top of our cars. We have no flood damage, and other than some minor inconvenience we are no worse off today than we were on Sunday when this all began.
Tuesday, over at school, I attended the chapel service at the outdoor chapel. It was truly a wonderful experience which was totally organized and planned by the students. The people who were in attendance were given an opportunity to share their experiences and as compared to the grumbling and complaining that was happening on the radio call in programs as people were venting about not being able to watch Monday Night Football, or arguing that the service trucks weren’t in their neighborhoods soon enough, these people were sharing about the kindness of those around them, those who were willing to share their flashlights or batteries, those who were willing to throw extra hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill for anyone who wanted to come out and join them, and those who went out of their way to check to be sure that their neighbor was safe, just to name a few.
I pray that this is the lesson from Hurricane Ike, I hope that I don’t forget the kindness of those around me, or their willingness to help out in a difficult situation. I am just not of the theology that says that this huricaine is an example of God’s wrath, nor do I believe that God is trying to teach us a lesson, although there are many lessons that we do indeed need to learn. Instead, I believe that God is, without a doubt, good all the time and that it is in these catastrophic events that God can indeed prove His love to us all.
The LORD said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:9-13)
May we use these times of tribulation and devastation to remain open to God’s voice. May we not look for God in the hurricanes, the floods, the earthquakes or the fires, but in the whisper of the Gentle Shepherd calling us to be His own.
Blessings
This has been a long and challenging ordeal, but there were so many other people who were not just inconvenienced, but devastated by this hurricane. I first think about the people in the small islands of the Caribbean and Cuba who were first to feel the impact of this monster storm. These are people who really have nothing to begin with and then to watch what little they had blow away or wash away must have been horrifying.
Next I think about the folks down in Galveston and Houston Texas. I watched as the waves were crashing over the storm wall, devastating piers and flooding roads, all while the actual storm was still 200 miles off shore. I watched as the officials almost pleaded with people to leave, telling them that if you stay you will die. I awoke to the images of the tall buildings in Houston totally devastated, with broken windows and debris lining the streets. The sad thing to realize is that in our challenging economy, how many of these business will never reopen?
As I reflect on our own situation and assess our losses, the food in the refrigerator and freezer, and the wasted trip to Ohio, keeping in mind that the trip is no small thing as it takes a minimum of $100 to make that trip each week. I realize how truly blessed that we are. We didn’t loose a loved one, our home is still warm and secure, and we don’t have trees crashed through our roof or collapsed on top of our cars. We have no flood damage, and other than some minor inconvenience we are no worse off today than we were on Sunday when this all began.
Tuesday, over at school, I attended the chapel service at the outdoor chapel. It was truly a wonderful experience which was totally organized and planned by the students. The people who were in attendance were given an opportunity to share their experiences and as compared to the grumbling and complaining that was happening on the radio call in programs as people were venting about not being able to watch Monday Night Football, or arguing that the service trucks weren’t in their neighborhoods soon enough, these people were sharing about the kindness of those around them, those who were willing to share their flashlights or batteries, those who were willing to throw extra hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill for anyone who wanted to come out and join them, and those who went out of their way to check to be sure that their neighbor was safe, just to name a few.
I pray that this is the lesson from Hurricane Ike, I hope that I don’t forget the kindness of those around me, or their willingness to help out in a difficult situation. I am just not of the theology that says that this huricaine is an example of God’s wrath, nor do I believe that God is trying to teach us a lesson, although there are many lessons that we do indeed need to learn. Instead, I believe that God is, without a doubt, good all the time and that it is in these catastrophic events that God can indeed prove His love to us all.
The LORD said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:9-13)
May we use these times of tribulation and devastation to remain open to God’s voice. May we not look for God in the hurricanes, the floods, the earthquakes or the fires, but in the whisper of the Gentle Shepherd calling us to be His own.
Blessings
2 comments:
So glad to know that you guys have power back!
Dad gave me this blog address a few months ago - and I check in periodically. It's good to know family is well :)
-Jill (Sikardi) Anderson
Well Thank-you Jill, It was really nice to hear from you this morning:)
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