Luke 21:25-28
And there shall be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and upon the distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them from fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, look up, lift up your heads, for your redemption is near.
My heart breaks as I watch the news and see the destruction left behind by Hurricane Michael. Tears fill my eyes and my heart truly aches for those affected by this massive storm, but this one is different for me. It puts a whole in my heart that will never be the same. What I am seeing on the news is not just some vacation place that I go to, or a place that I have never been.
And those people are not just people that I’ve never met. This time it is my family and cherished childhood memories. You watch the devastation and keep these people and places in your prayers, and when it is your family and memories it creates even more of a void in your heart.
With no power and very minimal cell service, I sit and wait for the phone to ring to get news on my family. I keep trying to no avail to call them, but all I can do is wait. My niece, Shannon has been keeping me updated as much as possible. My brother, who is incarcerated almost two hours away can’t even talk to his children or grandchildren. He too was affected by this storm. After two days he was finally able to call me, and I am relaying messages back and forth for him and his girls.
The path of this storm went straight through his location. They have some damage and power outages too, And he is worried sick about his girls and parents.
His Parents: They may not be blood related to me, but they are still a part of my family. I worry as much for them as I do my brother and nieces. These people took me in like one of their own when my brother went for visits with his dad when we were growing up. Sometimes they would even take me back to Panama City with them just to be able to spend that time with my brother. When I see the photos of their home, I see the childhood memories flashing before my eyes. My heart just breaks.
The memories will always be there, the material things can be replaced, and I thank God every day because they all are still with us. This is yet another reminder not to take people or things for granted because it can all be taken away within the blink of an eye. We wake up everyday with a roof over our heads, clean water, food, and even cell service. We take for granted that it will always be there. You never know what could happen to take it all away.
They are trying to get back as soon as possible to salvage anything that may be left to salvage. Even when they go back, they will need a place to stay. Hotels and eating out can get very expensive especially for a family of five and that includes a 6 month old child.
Ephesians 5:20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.