Storms terrify me. I can’t really say it’s an irrational fear and blame it on some phobic disorder. There’s a pretty good reason, I think. Storms can destroy your entire house, community, or even your or another’s life in a single instant. Yup. I’d say that’s a pretty good reason. They are unavoidable. If you get stuck in one, that’s it. No running away from it; just sitting and praying.
When strong storms produced tornadoes in the surrounding area, and created major destruction and death, it stirred something in my heart that I had been holding onto for a while. It brought back memories I hadn’t really wanted to face. About this time last year, a tornado tore through my hometown and destroyed part of it, taking with it the lives of a few of my friends. It’s a scary feeling, to think that it could have been me seated next to them, to see the sheer power of something I can’t even pretend to control, tearing apart anything that I might love without discretion or guilt.
So many lives were taken in these more recent storms, and I couldn’t help recalling how I felt when I found out my friends were killed or imagining what it would be like to lose someone as close as my own family. I couldn’t stop the memories from flooding back to me. And yet, some of these memories were amazing. Thinking back on when the tornado hit my hometown, I remembered all the help we received. It was awesome the support that flooded our community. The amount of volunteers and the miles traveled to help was enormous, and I couldn’t feel more grateful towards them. It was hard on the community to lose so many young lives. We were paralyzed. But the volunteers that showed up so quickly were so full of love and served with a selflessness I wish I could have had to aid those around me.
And this weekend, I had the opportunity to do just that. The neighboring cities were still struggling to pick up the pieces, and I felt a heavy debt to repay. So many people had helped my community in the time of crisis, and I couldn’t ignore a similar cry to my own. The empathy I felt for this situation overwhelmed me. I wanted to ease their pain as the past volunteers had done for my city.
So the trip was amazing. A lot of my friends responded to the call, and I was just absolutely stunned at the mass effort for a such a selfless work. I thank the Lord for all the people willing to help with a pure heart those who are hurting and needing. May God bless those who bless others.
