What To Say?

What do you blog about after last week? I spent Friday night in a hotel in Tyler amidst shell-shocked evacuees who had no idea what to expect from their homes on the coast or even when they could go home. I see pictures on the television of the devastation and hear the predictions of months without electricity, running water - much less safe water and the dire predictions of gasoline shortages and price-gouging. Life is so hard.

And yet this morning the sun is shining, a cool breeze is blowing and it seems to whisper, "It's going to be OK. I am still on the throne."

How do you respond to the challenges of life? What do you say when the world seems to be falling apart? There is one plus to aging and that is experience. The longer we live the more we experience the faithfulness of God. There is a wonderful old hymn that says it best:

Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

It is ours to trust Him. Just as the fury of Ike swept through our state on Saturday - Sunday brought the sunshine. Just as the destruction of wind and water reduced buildings to rubble, they will be rebuilt. Just as our hearts sink in fear, they will again sing praises. Why? Because we are created in His image and He is a God of redemption. He makes all things new - including hearts and spirits. As long the human spirit is renewed - so will manmade things be rebuilt.

But we must be obedient. We have to live lives that are pleasing to Him walking in His ways and by His precepts. Therein lies blessing. It's not always easy. Sometimes we want to stay in our own safe corner of the world and pretend it doesn't affect us. But God's word says that when one hurts we all hurt. When we feed or bring water to the least, we do it unto Him.

What to say? Trust God. Obey Him. Do good. Love others. Help where you can. Reach out to those who are struggling. Show them Jesus. You may not know what to say but you know God loves them. You may not have much to give but you have yourself.

Maybe Hurricane Ike will turn out to be a blessing in disguise as we rise above our own complacency to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a hurting world and the world will know that we are Christians by our love.