Storm You Can't Last

Over the past few weeks we've heard news and witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Irma. For those of us not located in Houston, Texas or Florida, from the comforts of our homes, we watched thousands of peoples lives uprooted and some even destroyed at the hands of these devastating natural disasters. The interesting thing about natural disasters is that despite the expertise of many meteorologist and storm experts, there is never really absolute certainty of what the outcome or the aftermath will be when natural disasters decide to pay us a visit. My heart ached as I read articles and seen pictures of flooded streets and damaged homes. I could never imagine having to ,in a moment, revamp my entire life. Well if you've lived long enough, perhaps you've faced some natural disasters in your life. I'm sure the residents in Houston, Texas were caught off guard with news of Harvey being that typically the state of Texas sees hurricanes once every six years. If you've lived in the U.S. long enough one thing for sure is that we really do a poor job of preparing for these unfortunate events despite knowing that this is in fact hurricane season.

I believe we can apply the same outlook to our lives. We so comfortably move through seasons in life without preparing for unexpected natural disasters, in fact many of us believe it will never happen to us. I happen to have a friend who lives in Miami and at the beginning of the week I pleaded with her to pack up her things and leave Florida based on the weather report. Because hurricanes are expected in Florida around this time, I believe my friend made light of this news. How many times in life have you been warned that danger is near and you still chose to go your way? By mid week, thousands of residents had evacuated and eventually streets and roadways were shut down in the state of Florida. By this time, my friend began regretting her decision as she started paying attention to the predictions of Hurricane Irma. All she could do at this time was head to the store and stock up on supplies to face the ugly truth of Irma. I can totally relate to dealing with a total disaster in my life that I was probably warned of and by the time I decided to comply, I found myself, like my friend, stuck in preparing for the storm. It was far too late to evacuate and the only thing left to do was wait it out. How frustrating is it to not only endure the consequences of disobedience but to know that your decision not only put yourself in danger but your children or friends and family as well. 

BUT, there's once again good news. As my friend began preparing her home and going over the safety plan with her child and family, I was on my knees calling on the Ultimate Storm Mover to make a way and to move the storm in a way that would keep my friend and her family out of danger. It's funny how we has humans take all precautions at the very last minute and in fact most of the time all the supplies and all the preparation stand no match to the power of God. As Irma made her grand entrance in Miami, Florida on Saturday afternoon, my friend still had phone service and began sending me video footage of Irma in action. I can't even began to describe the anxiety and worry I felt, let alone how my friend and her family were feeling. I mean just to know that you're life could end within the next 24 hours is something we take for granted everyday. I decided that once I prayed I would no longer worry. I received news a few hours later that Irma was shifting and that the county my friend resides in was cleared of the eye of the storm. I could only smile in appreciation because I knew it was only the saving power of God. But the reality is, not everyone was able to dodge the impacts of Irma....

Why do we live life on the edge thinking that we can be saved from all of our choices? Even when we are provided escape, we still choose to go our own way. I often feel ashamed when I go to God because it seems to be more frequent when a natural disaster has shown up at my front door. Despite my disobedience and misuse of God's grace, it's amazing knowing that when I call he will answer. Not only does he answer, but he hides me so that I am safe. We must not become so narcissistic and prideful that life has to send us natural disasters as a wake up call. For those of us who watched the impacts of these two fatal storms wipe out people and places, perhaps it was only a wake up call for the rest of us. Are you living life on the edge? Are you voluntarily ignoring the signs?  What sense does it make to willing walk into a storm? How many signs must be given to you before you are humbled? Let's not give natural disasters permission to come into our lives because Irma and Harvey have shown us that the risk is far more devastating than we could ever imagine...

-Nique

*My prayers are with the families that have sufferd lost and whose lives have been changed at the hands of Irma and Harvey