As Hurricane Sandy tears across the East Coast leaving a trail of devastation and destruction, we are reminded of just how uncertain our days are. Who would have known three months ago that lives and homes would be threatened and embroiled in chaos. When the news first broke that this storm was coming, some people took heed and prepared for the worst. They sandbagged around their homes and businesses and boarded up windows. They evacuated, moving toward safer ground. Others stocked up on food, water, batteries and the like, hoping to ride out the storm. Store shelves emptied quickly as people scrambled to get as many supplies as possible, leaving some people without.
And while we do not yet know just the level of devastation this storm will leave, we do know that its effects are real and that it will have a great impact upon what once was.Similarly, in life we will have unforeseen storms arise that threaten to destroy us—not just physical storms, but situational, emotional, or health-related storms. It is so important to make sure we are well-equipped to weather the torrents that appear. We need to stock up, fortify our walls, keep a clear head and don’t panic.
If the pantries of our hearts are full of good supplies, we’ll have the emotional strength to endure many days of hardship. If our minds are focused on the positive and surrounded by optimism, our walls will be strong enough to hold back the flood. If we gather in community to help build up each other into strong towers, we can survive mighty winds. If we build our lives on sand rather than on solid rock, when the flood comes, we will be washed away.
If we do not fortify our hearts, our minds, our spirt, we will be poorly equipped when the storm comes—and it will indeed come. While there may be fallout and cleanup to be done after the storm passes, if we have been prudent in our preparations, it will be much easier to rebuild and move on and our lives will not be victims of unthinkable devastation.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” — Matthew 7:24-27
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