These last few months of 2018 have been riddled with tragedies such as hurricanes and fires. Visiting my daughter that lives in North Carolina I have seen the destruction that area has gone through from Hurricane Florence. I have seen pictures of what Hurricane Michael did to the Florida panhandle and have spoken with friends about the devastation the people have endured.
Then the fires erupted in California and created havoc and despair for the people there. Towns were totally demolished by these fires and many, many people lost their homes and everything they owned. In all three tragedies people died and the ongoing grief will be for years to come. One might say “how will they overcome all of this destruction.”
In times of need and despair people from around the country step up and help those that are hurting. In some cases the government intervenes with help and those that have insurance can get assistance also.
People are really good about giving money, time, and their labor. Many resources are available through organizations and hot food is cooked and provided by many of these organizations. Christian groups will go into the areas affected and help rebuild homes and set up shelters for people to live in until they can get back on their feet.
All of these storms are delivered by the force of nature and I understand the fires could have started from any of many sources. No one knows for sure.
While visiting my daughter I witnessed and experienced another incident that was terrifying and could have meant more devastation to a hurting community. It was early on a school day and my son-in-law and I were on our way to have breakfast when we saw law enforcement cars speeding up and down the highway. They had blocked off all schools in the area because someone had reported a shooter on top of one of the buildings. There was no way anyone was going in or around any of the schools. Patrolmen and troopers from several cities came to help plus the state patrol was there. In a matter of minutes they had the area secured and kept onlookers and the news media out of the way.
I was strictly impressed by the professionalism and speed these trained men and women reacted with because of the danger that was threatening this small town. People were responding to the chaos in an orderly manner and would have helped in any way they could. People were consoling parents who were in the unknown of where their children were.
Praises go to God for this situation turned out to be uneventful. There was no shooter. It was a hot water heating system that had been damaged from the hurricane that was discharging a pop off valve that sounded like a rapid fire weapon. It was a tremendous relief to everyone when all was cleared and the truth came out.
I say all this because of the response of the law and others to a situation that could have been tragic. We have people all around us each and every day of the week going to hell because we don’t respond to the needs as we should. If we, as Christians, would respond to the concerns of those around us and tell them about the saving grace of Jesus they could avoid a life ending and facing the torment of Hades.
Our actions, mannerisms, speech, and desire to help are a great witness. People watch us and see how we react to certain situations and extend help to those around us. All of us have a desire to help those in need because of earthly tragedies, but how do we respond to those that need to know Jesus personally? Are we in tune with God and able to help those searching for salvation? We need to remember what we are told in Philippians 2:4; “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
