So Many Storms

This morning, I am sitting outside with a nice cup of coffee, enjoying the cooler air and softer light of a late September morning. The birds are singing happily, and a soft breeze stirs the leaves. The day is perfectly mild, and full of promise. 

Those words were actually difficult to write, knowing full well that so many people in the southeast are surely having a dreadful morning, even if their weather is now pleasant and mild, as they face the aftermath of a devastating hurricane. It is so heartbreaking to see the photos of the damage the storm left in its wake—entire towns flooded with rivers of water and mud and debris, roads washed away leaving towns cut off, homes and livelihoods absolutely obliterated.

A storm like this is shocking and life-changing for the people directly involved. Life as it was known has stopped, a lot like a death, and many decisions must be made on how to proceed, not just for one day, but for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, those of us on the outside, watching, feel an odd mixture of sadness, helplessness, guilt, and even a sort of relief that it wasn't our town that was impacted this time. We aren't sure what to do or how we can possibly help.

I had already written part of my next planned post, interestingly enough on the subject of storms. I've gone back and forth for a couple of days as to whether or not I wanted to tackle the subject, out of respect for those who are literally knee-deep in mud and destruction this morning. But the Lord gave me an entirely new direction to pursue, and I'd love to go ahead with it, trusting that it will be a help and encouragement to all of us.

​First, here is what I had planned to go with...

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Earlier this spring, our part of Texas very nearly washed away. In a five month span, we had more than seventy inches of rain, and 30 of those inches fell in less than a week. It was wet, and it was soupy! The last two summers were quite dry and hot, meaning that the trees were stressed in that direction and therefore weakened. All of those dead or severely weakened trees couldn’t handle our seventy inches, and were primed to fall when a hurricane blew through mid-summer. This has been a year of storms for our area, and so many people have had to deal with some major issues as a result.

Many homes were flooded, certainly by rising lakes and rivers, but also just by so much groundwater that had nowhere to go. The ground was completely saturated, and more rain falling just flowed into whatever stood in its path. Homes that had never taken on any water at all were flooded, some two or three times throughout the course of the spring. Any window or ceiling or roofline that had a little leak that had need repairing or resealing, leaked. Any gutters or rain spouts that had needed cleaning overflowed. Creeks and ditches that had needed clearing out from accumulated silt and debris, overflowed their banks. Trees that had needed trimming or removing fell and did a lot of damage. Truly, matters were made worse for many people by the little maintenance matters they ignored for too long. No matter if it is a modest home or a mansion, the storms affected each one. Things might have looked pretty terrific on the surface when the skies were sunny, but the storms found out every single weak point and flooded them. 

This is so similar to what happens in our lives when the storms of life come. It may be beautiful and sunny and dry for years on end, but one day, real storms will blow through each of our lives. It might be a natural disaster, a terrible accident, the death of a loved one, or a frightening diagnosis. It might be a difficult conflict, getting fired, being publicly humiliated, or financial hardship. The storms of life take all kinds of different forms, but they all have a similar effect—they reveal what is really there. Going through a storm is when we get to find out what we are really made of, how strong we truly are, and what kind of character truly exists beneath the surface.

When they finally do come, what will the storms reveal? Unfortunately, just as many homes had their weak places revealed in the rains, our weaknesses are often reveled when we encounter a difficult season...

​-Fear
-Lack of trust in God
-A misplaced faith in our own strength or possessions
-Anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness in our hearts

These are just a few weaknesses that can be revealed by a life storm. But there is hope and good news: once we realize those weaknesses are there, we can overcome them with God's help. In His kindness, the Lord is so careful to take the evil things that happen in this world and turn them for good. This is what He does! He knows that we will live forever, and those things that lurk in our hearts will, too, unless we have the courage to face them and surrender them. We might never know the extent and danger of our weaknesses without a storm to reveal them. 

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That is what I was planning to dig into. All of it is so true, and those of us who have endured any sort of life storm in the recent past can take stock of what the storm revealed, and make a concerted effort to shore things up in our hearts, minds, and relationships. We can commit to trusting God. We can ask for and offer forgiveness to one another. We can get rid of debris that clogs up our lives. We can gratefully accept the help and care offered by the people who love us.

But what about today—what about the people standing in mud and ruin today?  These folks do not have the time or emotional space to reflect on spiritual lessons from the storm they are facing right now. They need to figure out basic things like what they are going to eat and where they are going to sleep. 

That's where the rest of us come in. Storms offer an incredible opportunity to open our eyes to the need around us, and to do something for someone else.

We are all pretty good at caring about ourselves and our own stuff, and even caring for the people we love, but we're much too good at building barriers in our hearts towards everyone else. It has become too easy to be against other people, both online and in person. It has become too convenient to drive into our garages and shut the doors behind, without ever knowing our neighbors. Life is becoming both too material and too virtual, and so often does not touch on the relational—which is all that matters in the end. In God's Kingdom, people are what matters most. Not just the idea of people, in general, but actual individuals that He created in His own image, with names and with dreams and gifts and talents He gave to them. Even the ones who think really differently than I do; even the ones on the other team. 

So when way too much rain falls too fast, and rivers rise out of their banks, and when trees fall on houses, and entire towns are flooded with mud and debris, and people and pets are stranded and cut off and in danger of all kinds of life-threatening things...well, suddenly things get very real. In those moments, no one cares about all of the silly things we prattle on about and get angry with one another about, day after day. At those times, no one cares about all of the things that divide us. In the storm, we can see clearly that we're all in this together and that we need one another. 

Even in this, God turns the frightening results of a natural disaster into something lovely. People of all kinds and with many differing viewpoints often come together to help one another. It is amazing to see neighbor helping neighbor, risking their own lives to help someone else. It is beautiful to see relief crews come in from surrounding areas to help with rescue and clean up—I read this morning about a team of folks on mules crossing over the mountains to bring water and aid to a devastated area. It is so encouraging to see others give generously of their time, money, and possessions to help others who just lost everything. 

Storms are terrible, no doubt, but they allow an opportunity for us to share the selfless love of God with our neighbors near and far. They remind us that there is so much more to life than we often care to notice, and that we all have so much in common than we have differences. They remind us to be full of compassion, concern, and help for one another. 

This week, we can all do something to help those who have just endured an awful storm. We can give our money through a trusted relief agency. If we are near enough, we can give our time in the cleaning and rebuilding efforts. We can call or send messages of encouragement to those we know who have been impacted, and ask them how we could help or what we could send. And most of all, we can pray for them, not just once, but often. Please especially pray for the people of Buncombe County, North Carolina, where it has been reported that over 1000 people are still missing. 

Father, please be with the people who are suffering through the impact of this terrible storm. Comfort those who are mourning, heal those who are broken, and restore generously to those who have lost so much. Help us all work together to help our neighbors, and please keep our hearts tender towards those who are hurting, both from this hurricane and from every other kind of life storm, even as our own lives move on quickly. Amen. 
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​If you do not already have a preferred relief agency, here is a link to the one I trust most. God bless you! 

Convoy of Hope

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