Living Beyond the Hassle in a Post-Ike Houston

Yesterday, I was thinking about writing an "Oh, pooh!" type of email because our power went back out. We have been so grateful that it went out for only 15 hours when Ike struck, and we've had a full week of beautiful air-conditioning, unlike many of our friends here. We had become afflicted with a new epidemic (which about half of Houston has now) called "electricity guilt." Trying to not make a big deal about having electricity and then even downplaying it when we have it because we feel bad that so many people don't have it. Then yesterday afternoon for some reason, a line fuse popped behind our neighbor's house, and now 38 of us who were blessed with the gift of electricity lost it again. Dang it.

Well, today, Greg and I went back to our wonderful church and God used our pastor to give us a good reminder. He spoke of Jesus calming the storm (nothing new there) in Mark 4:35-41, but he focused on "Exploring the Depths Beyond the Hassle." He figured he was speaking to 3 different audiences: those of us who had had a "hurrication" (having the week off of work and making visits to family out of town, taking trips, etc.), those who had experienced complete devastation (like one of our staff members on the coast who had everything sucked out of their home into the bay by the storm surge), and the rest of us somewhere in between, who had just experienced hassle and inconvenience. He shared a few key points with us, and I must admit, none of them were new, but after going through Ike, they do have more poignant meaning to most of us in Houston.

1) People, not possessions, matter. In fact, probably none of us were worrying about our driveways or our stuff during the winds nearly as much as we were hoping we and our family and friends would be safe. And admittedly, the hurricane seems to have brought out the best in Houstonians (and those struck outside of Houston as well). People have become important again, and possessions seem to have taken a back burner.

2) We are not in control. I think we have a perfectly good understanding of this after the past week. We aren't in control, and even when it's scary, it's still a blessing in disguise.

Here's a verse I read this week in Isaiah: "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it."

Which leads me to #3.

3) If creation is this strong, stand in awe of the Creator. As Pastor Gregg put it, the hurricane was a Category 2. God is like a Category 10! Stand in amazement at who He is. Maybe God needs us to be in a place where we understand just how great that is. For some of us, maybe that takes a hurricane. For others, maybe it takes something else altogether different.

4) We are not alone -- there are other boats in the storm with us. I felt somewhat like I was reading the story of Jesus calming the storm for the 500th time this morning, yet I have always missed a detail. The disciples were not in the only boat in the storm. Mark clearly says there were other boats out there with them. We are NOT the only ones in this, and even though we get frustrated with the lack of cool air, not being able to cook in our own kitchen, no cable or internet (yes, I am at my father-in-law's right now typing this), and the like, we are not the only ones, and we don't even have it that bad. No way. We're extremely spoiled. If you've seen the pictures of Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula, you know I am speaking the truth. If you've seen pictures of Cuba, where the storm hit twice as hard, as a Category 4......well, we have it really good. But we are not alone, and that's why God has created us with the desire for community. How did he know we needed that? :0)

Anyway, I have learned that yes, sometimes God sends storms as punishment or just a wake-up call, as he did when Jonah ran away, to correct us. Other times, he sends storms to those who are faithful, like the apostles on the boat with Him, to perfect us. But no matter the reason,the important thing to realize is that there IS a reason. And as His mind is higher than mine, and His ways are higher than mine, and I have never had a reason to ever doubt His grace, mercy, or otherwise, I must trust in who He is, not just in who I think He is.