Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Painful Reminders of Hope

There has been so much going on lately. Busy, busy, busy! I haven't taken the time to write anything. We are running constantly to get this barn done. Softball is starting for the oldest Milkmaid. The days are longer and we are just shoving more into each added hour of daylight. Everyone is that way, I think. We need to stop for a breather.

There has been so much tragedy around. We suffered a small one that really only affected our world and our people. And since it happened every stupid lightening bolt makes me look outside for a fire or a funnel cloud about to drop.

It is storm season. It is time for watches and warnings, weather forecasts that can be scary, storm shelters and safe rooms. For the past few years it seems like there has been a devastating tornado or weather event that has changed the lives of huge amounts of people. In recent years they have been pretty close to us. Joplin, Moore, and most recently Mayflower, Vilonia, and its surrounding areas.

In a world that is too busy to take care of the sick, the poor, the homeless, and sometimes ourselves, these massive tragedies occur and remind us what is important. They remind us that each breath is precious, that watching our babies grow up and being involved in their lives is more important than the next deadline. We are reminded that our pets are family members too. And home is where our hearts are, not in our houses. We are reminded that our things are just things and that they don't hold the memories. We do.

These towns that natural disasters destroy don't build back because they are wished back. They come back better and stronger because these terrible things pull people together. They give a common goal. We are so scattered fighting over the latest headline that we forget that we have a common goal in survival. We fight and argue over ridiculousness like what the owner of a NBA team said or what an actress wore. We forget that we have humanity to fight for. We forget that God calls us to spread His Word, His message, and His story.

When these tragedies occur God is brought back into focus.

When these tragedies occur we pray. We thank God that we survived. We go to church. We praise God in our storms.

God doesn't make terrible things happen. He doesn't wish pain and suffering on us. But you have to admit...those things draw us closer to Him. God allows things to happen, not because he "hates" but because it builds a better tomorrow. A better you. A better me. A better us. We are better for the trials we suffer. We are stronger. We are more faithful. We have hope. We are better versions of ourselves.

We have so much shoved in our faces that we have lost our ability to see people as humans, to feel what we should feel. We don't become outraged at what has become of our country. We are calloused. With the news, the internet, and the commonality of sadness we have built a barrier so that we don't feel. Sometimes that barrier has to come down. Sometimes we have to be torn apart to be able to feel again. It isn't fun. It is, however, effective.

It prides me to see people from all over come together to help others in need. I find hope. It restores my faith in humanity. It inspires me to be a better person. It forces me to look at myself and see what I'm taking for granted every day. I turn to God for forgiveness for not being the person I should, I look at my failings and vow to do better.

Tragedy isn't something we can understand. We can't wrap our minds around it. It is too much for our brains to digest and turn into something we can fathom. So we take the desire to understand our pain and turn it into something we can use. We hope. We try to help others. We try to help ourselves. We put aside differences and we come together to heal, to rebuild, to better ourselves and our communities.

Tragedy makes us do something that we forget to do everyday. We feel.

To the people who have lost everything, I am praying for you. Many are praying for you and your recovery of things that cannot be replaced. We may not feel all that you are feeling, or understand, or even be able to come personally see your loss, but as fellow humans we will stand in support of you. We have allowed tears and feelings that we don't normally allow on your behalf. We will share in your sorrow and use it to better our world. We will share in your strength. We will see you rebuild and cheer for your victory. You may feel that your hearts are lost with what the tornado took, but your heart is just broken and like the community around you, you will see it rebuilt into a better version of what it once was. That is my hope for you.









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