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IKE
It’s crazy to think that people still don’t have electricity here in Houston. Hurricane Ike hit us pretty good and put the whole city out. I’m blessed to say that I’m safe. My family’s safe. I survived Ike. I want to thank Richard and Linda Young for letting us stay at their house until our power came back on. These last couple weeks have been interesting, to say the least.
Friday, September 12, I was glued to the television trying to see what was going to happen. Work was canceled that day. Church was canceled that night. The whole city waited in anticipation and prepared for Ike. We went to the store and gathered a few supplies to ride out the storm and I really didn’t know what to expect. When Hurricane Rita threatened us a few years back (if you read my past columns, you know, ha), I left out of town to avoid it, and that storm ended up missing us. Ike didn’t.
The winds started blowing harder and harder into the night. I tried to sleep through it, but it felt like the whole apartment was shaking. The wind was howling and the pounding against my windows made me think that they would shatter at any minute. When I stepped outside the next day, there were shingles everywhere. Trees were uprooted from the ground. Roads were flooded. There was no power. Everything seemed to be closed. When things did finally start opening back up, the stores quickly sold out of everything. At one point there was no bread or ice in most of Houston. The lines at the gas stations that happened to be open wrapped around the block.
I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my life. The city of Galveston, 40 miles south of Houston, was almost totally destroyed. People’s homes are completely gone. I can’t even imagine losing everything I own. Through this whole thing, I’m just grateful to be alive. Things could have been way worse. Compared to a lot of people, I got off pretty easy.
Sometimes it takes a storm to get you to draw closer to God. When there was no TV, no internet, nothing else to distract me, I found myself playing my guitar more. I found myself seeking God more. Your priorities seem to change when everything stops. Checking your email or myspace isn’t as big a concern. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to post a column last week, but that seemed trivial compared to what was going on all around me. In fact, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to post a column today. We just got our internet service on back last night.
There was a point during the hurricane when everything went calm. They call it the eye of the storm. I remember watching Geraldo report on TV and thinking this guy is crazy. He was battling the hurricane, dodging debris and hanging onto a tree for dear life. Then all of a sudden, the wind stopped. The storm ceased. Everything became calm.
In the midst of the storm there is always a peace. When we’re facing the fiercest of battles, God is always right in the middle. I believe that break, that calm point in the storm, is there because God wants to show us that He is always in control. No matter what is going on all around us, He is always there in the midst, ready for us to call on Him.
“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40)
While there was a great storm, Jesus slept. He was the eye in the storm. He was the great calm. I know I couldn’t sleep through that night when the hurricane hit. I was a little bit afraid, but I knew that I would be alright. I had Jesus in the boat with me. No matter what you’re facing in your life right now, no matter what storm is raging against you, know that Jesus is right there in the middle, waiting for you to call on Him to calm the storm.
w/muchluv,
geno
MAKE SURE TO KEEP ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE IKE IN YOUR PRAYERS!!!! GOD BLESS AND SEE YA NEXT WEEK!!!!!
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