United in Disaster

There's nothing like a disaster to bring about a unified spirit. In my lifetime, I've seen it happen a few times. The most prominent was after 9/11. Americans unified after that disaster like I had never seen before. Not since then have I seen it even close to that degree. That was until this week. Hurricane Harvey popped up out of nowhere, strengthened to become a storm stronger than they had predicted or even thought possible. Reeking havoc with winds and tornadoes then combining it with rain of epic proportions makes for a nightmare of a situation. Especially after the divisiveness we've seen after the past few weeks.

But Hurricane Harvey seemed to manage to melt those away. Black and white, Republican and Democrat, Christian and non-Christian, Texan and Californian seemed to simply disappear into the mist becoming one fog, one people, one nation under God. What is it about a disaster that seems to do this? I'd say it's the fact that at this particular point, no one would wish this kind of harm on their worst enemy. The worst of what the world dishes out is met with the best of what mankind has to offer. God has a way of using disaster's to unite people together.

Theologically, we could discuss all day long whether God 'causes' or 'allows' these disasters, but suffice it to say that in the end, He definitely uses them. And if I do say so myself, it was pretty well timed too. We needed something to unite us together. Sure, the effects will fade as time passes, but this is the time that the church steps up to try and help people realize that we truly are one people. The boots are on the ground in Texas. We pray for a speedy recovery. We pray for healing and protection. We also pray that many lives are brought to Jesus through this. If you have a tendency to battle ugly thoughts about others, let this situation permeate your being. Let it sink in and help you to overcome whatever it is you battle. If nothing else, it should develop our compassion and empathy for others. It's only through hardship that we grow. I believe this is one of those times. So let's take the seed that's been planted and nurture it to bear some wonderful fruit.

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