March 18th, 2009
After having written on the gift of resilience in my last blog, I came home days later to disaster in our own home in St. Louis. I was getting ready to post a blog entry about the awesome, dynamic meetings we had with Pastor Glen Massey and Living Way Pentecostal church in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Instead, I was thrust into the middle of a water leak that started in the upstairs master bathroom and went through the kitchen ceiling all the way to the basement leaving a wake of destruction in its path. OK, God, I’m laughing. I just celebrated the resilience of whole cities that have emerged better and stronger than before after a devastating hurricane or a terrorist attack; now I am walking through puddles of water inside our own dwelling. I just chuckled to myself. Talking about resilience is easy. Demonstrating it is the real test!
While we have not gone through a hurricane or been attacked by terrorists, after experiencing six days of what the water restoration company called “the demolition crew,” it was as if a bomb had gone off in much of our house. A 59-cent valve broke and caused thousands of dollars in damage.
The funny thing about this whole story is that everything that was touched by the water needs to be refreshed. Now it will be, thanks to the insurance company. We have been slowly updating the house over the last year and a half. Mercifully, the areas that we have already redone were not touched. The crisis caused us to take a giant leap forward, though it first looked as if we were taking two steps back.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God …” (Romans 8:28).
Posted in Meet Me on Monday | Comments Off on God Has a Sense of Humor
March 3rd, 2009
Tonight I am staying in the home of a FEMA employee here on Galveston Island. The disaster recovery team is almost finished with their work, but the rebuilding of this city has just begun. Driving through what remains of Crystal Beach was proof of this fact. Mounds of rubbish lined the road and construction workers were still working in the dark as we drove by. Here on the island, there is a strange sense of calm confidence. Hurricane Ike was called the storm of a century. It is over now. All the damage that could be done has been done. There is nothing else the storm can take. There is only one option-rebuild and start over.
Being here reminded me of our recent trip to Ground Zero in New York City. Kimberly and I wept as we walked through the World Trade Center gallery. Though it has been more than seven years since that horrific day, we could still feel the contrasting emotions of both sacred remembrance and the passionate drive to rebuild. As we stood and watched the workers at Ground Zero, the indomitable will of the American people to rise from the rubble inspired Kimberly and I to never give up. We were first hand observers of the gift of resilience.
Again today, I realize that this gift of resilience is not just reserved for big cities. (Galveston is no New York.) Resilience rather, is the domain of big people.
As I weather my own storms, I gain strength from these amazing stories of people rebuilding their homes and their lives. In light of the global recession and the uncertainty of the future, I remain positive. The words of Paul illustrate my hope, “ …for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
Tomorrow, I will live out my belief in the power of resilience. I am taking Julianna to the beach.
Posted in Meet Me on Monday | Comments Off on The Gift of Resilience: Hope for renewal during times of chaos
