In the Eye of the Storm

Have you ever heard the statement, "It never happens here." Just a few days ago I was guilty of saying that very thing. When tornadoes were touching down in other states I said, "we live in the mountains, it never happens here." And then last Wednesday came and all of my preconceived notions were blown away in one short but long evening. While my wife and I were taking refuge in the corner of our basement, I realized you can never say "never." We sat in great anxiety while the winds blew ferociously and hail the size of golf balls pelted down. It was only around 3:00 am that we felt safe enough to return to our bedroom. When the sun came up Thursday morning I quickly went outside to assess the damage. We were very fortunate but others were not. Since that evening I have attentively watched the news and driven up and down the interstate looking at hundreds of homes and businesses that were completely destroyed. My heart has been touched by all the loss. In my attempt to rationalize and theologize about the reason for the events, I continue to come up empty handed. I have come to the conclusion that no answer is adequate. And I'm not sure that we need to know the reason, we only need to know how to respond. Situations like this give us a great opportunity to demonstrate the true spirit of Christianity. We have a chance to bind together and provide loving care to hurting people. The saddest commentary to a tragedy such as this would be for the traumatized community at large to feel like we failed them. However, I have no doubt the body of Christ will show forth their best. We will not ignore the needs of the people. I am confident the response of the informed church will be the same as my misinformed one, "it never happens here."