This World is not my home, I’m only passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. – An Old Gospel Song
It is now day 5 of Hurricane Harvey, a catastrophe which started when it made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday night and then stalled out as a tropical storm bringing heavy rains to the Houston area for days. Although the state has largely been spared of wind damage typically associated with hurricanes, the amount of flooding is without precedent. This will be the storm that other storms are compared to for years to come. We are writing from Houston in the midst of the despair.
How do you process this kind of event? Each person has different decisions before them. Some are short term, such as where to seek shelter. Some will come in the days and weeks ahead, i.e. what kind of car should I buy to replace the one that was just flooded, should I move, etc. All will have lasting implications, and obviously, there is no one size fits all answer.
As for us, Porter is at her hospital on a rideout team while Sherpa has been confined by rising waters and impassible roads to our apartment in Spring, TX. We are both safe, but have friends who have lost everything. At the time of writing we personally know people in need of physical rescue from still rising waters. The situation is heartbreaking. You just want to help when so many nearby are hurting. Sherpa made cookies and attempted to bring them to a nearby shelter along with some cots and towels, only to find the shelter flooded and evacuated.
Sherpa tried to drop off supplies at an area shelter, only to find it evacuated due to rising water.
We may not have experienced loss of property as a direct result of Harvey, but we are no strangers to it. Sherpa learned the lesson during hurricane Ike, when his house was heavily damaged by storm surge. Houses can be rebuilt! Lives can be rebuilt! Yes it takes time. Yes, there will be tears. Don’t give up. As Houstonians put their lives back together, we want to offer this encouragement:
- If you are not directly affected, count your blessings! And if you are a follower of Christ, be the church. Pray, volunteer, and give. Let Christ use you.
- If you were affected, our prayers are with you. Recognize that it is not an accident. The Bible tells us that God puts us in specific places at specific times so that we would seek him (Acts 17:26-27). If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, seek God during this time. If you do, draw even closer to Him. God is in control of your life, even if it seems out of control. Hold on to Him. Call out to Him. Take some time to reflect.
And just a parting thought for everyone. If the master ambition of your life is to accumulate wealth, then storms will ruin your life. But if the master ambition of your life is to please Jesus, then no storm can take that away! What is the master ambition of your life?
Do not lay up for up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… -Jesus (Matthew 6:19-20)
Hike the Good Hike!
-Sherpa and Porter
