A) Always be ready for an emergency situation
Andy and I have taken an "emergency preparedness" class and have had a few friends lovingly (?) tease us for our dedication to stocking up on goods and being ready for the worst. This week the worst happened for at least 346 families in our state. This week the worst is happening for those in Florida as tropical storm Debby rages. Emergencies do happen and sometimes you can't do anything but flee, but sometimes you have a few minutes or a few hours or a day to evacuate or prepare and the more prepared you are for that, the better off you will be. There are many resources available for becoming prepared for an emergency. FEMA has a whole website dedicated to preparing for an emergency (www.ready.gov) 72hours.org is another website that is dedicated to helping you prepare for an emergency. It is a daunting task to prepare; it took us a 12 week class and even now we are still doing little things to stay prepared, but the peace of mind makes it all worthwhile. Emergencies happen!
B) Be prepared to leave it all behind
In light of so many being evacuated this week and the possibility of more fires raging at any time here because of the dry conditions, Andy and I made a list of things we would take from our home if we had to evacuate and had the chance to grab some things. It included: our computer, emergency water, files, our wallets and other items. But at the top of the list is "any living thing" and that doesn't mean plants; it means animals and people. If we had less than a minute to evacuate, the only thing we would worry about is ourselves and our dog. Of course, I would never want to lose our home to a natural disaster and I am really heartbroken for those who have, but the reality is, all that matters in this world has a beating heart. People matter, relationships matter, and pets matter, too. This is all biblical stuff here! I have looked around my house several times this week and thought of how I would absolutely grieve the loss of the 'stuff' I have collected, but how I would grieve even more if we lost Wilson in a fire. All that matters has a beating heart.
C) Consider those who have suffered loss
In our community 346 families have lost their homes. Agencies are working hard to provide for the firefighters who are still on the front lines of this and other emergencies happening in our community. What can we do to help? I truly don't know what Andy and I will do to help the victims or the community, but I know we will do something. We must. This is our community; the same community that will rally for us if something ever happens to us. And we are the body of Christ and we can shine so bright in times like this because we are the first ones to donate or the first ones to call a friend we know has been impacted. It may be small, but if this is your community, consider those who have suffered and ask "how can I help?"
The events this week have really made me think and they have really impacted me in deep places. My spirit is grieving and I know that God's is, too. This wasn't His judgement on us (although some have joked that maybe we shouldn't have traded Tim Tebow after all :), this was a horrible accident that hurts the Father as much as it hurts us. I'm grateful that God loves us enough to let us learn to lean on Him a little more when things like this happen and allows us to be reminded of the importance and frailty of life.
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