It's raining in Kentucky. This is a good thing, we have been particularly dry and we need the rain, that's for sure. It's hard to remember how good a thing it is when you are being rained on and you spend the entire day being sleepy. And it rained on a Monday, which I think should be against the law. Mondays are hard enough for me without the added bonus of grey skies and rain.
I turned on the news long enough this morning to see that California is ready for some rain too with all those wild fires burning and so many people out of their homes. It is a very sad and frightening situation. So many people must be sleeping tonight wondering if after a couple of days when the fires are gone they will have homes standing. A little rain would be a blessing for them too, I know.
I did notice as I watched some news footage that we have learned some lessons from previous disasters. I saw pictures of folks sleeping in the Charger's stadium and remember that from Hurricane Katrina. I know from talking to local mission folks that we learned a lot from those days and weeks following the hurricane about how to respond to crisis, how to mobilize help effectively, how to assess the situation and react better. California is benefiting from those lessons. They do not prevent disasters but they do help responders do so more effectively. I will also confess, I am not sure if I was sleeping on a mattress on the steps of a stadium I would be feeling grateful. I somehow doubt it very much.
We have been facing a different kind of crisis closer to home. In the past week, we have had a couple of headline making arrests of people in prominent positions. Their arrests have had ripples across the community for various reasons. The fires that have been roaring here are the waves of discussion and speculation on the innocence or guilt of the people involved, and the impact on their family and friends. We all know we have issues in our own life we would prefer not hit the headlines, but somehow we are peaceful about discussing someones misfortunes over coffee. I feel very parched by all the heat and smoke generated and could use some grace to rain down on me and on these situations. I do not mean that I think that people who have been guilty of committing a crime should not be arrested and tried and even serve their time. I mean I wish we could feel compassion for their families, and for them for having made such poor choices and certainly that we might pray for redemption to come swiftly.
Will we learn from this crisis to prepare for others, sure. We will be smarter about these particular topics and we are learning how to respond effectively and rapidly to the people who are hurting. I hope we will let our hearts be touched and we will ask ourselves some tough questions. Are we truly all sinners saved by grace or are some of us above sin? Are there degrees of sin based on our understanding of what makes sin worse? Are we enjoying the misfortunes of others to feel better about ourselves? Can we love as God loves, as Jesus loved us, unconditionally? Is a public sin and disgrace enough of a reason to reject those who hurt us? And if we are to be forgiven as we forgive, how does that change the way we respond?
Let grace fall like rain so that we might embrace the complete unconditional love that God has for us. Out of that love, live as those who have nothing to prove and all of our Father's kingdom to gain, not as servants but as sons and daughters, full heirs and entitled to claim the high King as our Abba.
All of the sudden, the rain doesn't sound bad at all.
I turned on the news long enough this morning to see that California is ready for some rain too with all those wild fires burning and so many people out of their homes. It is a very sad and frightening situation. So many people must be sleeping tonight wondering if after a couple of days when the fires are gone they will have homes standing. A little rain would be a blessing for them too, I know.
I did notice as I watched some news footage that we have learned some lessons from previous disasters. I saw pictures of folks sleeping in the Charger's stadium and remember that from Hurricane Katrina. I know from talking to local mission folks that we learned a lot from those days and weeks following the hurricane about how to respond to crisis, how to mobilize help effectively, how to assess the situation and react better. California is benefiting from those lessons. They do not prevent disasters but they do help responders do so more effectively. I will also confess, I am not sure if I was sleeping on a mattress on the steps of a stadium I would be feeling grateful. I somehow doubt it very much.
We have been facing a different kind of crisis closer to home. In the past week, we have had a couple of headline making arrests of people in prominent positions. Their arrests have had ripples across the community for various reasons. The fires that have been roaring here are the waves of discussion and speculation on the innocence or guilt of the people involved, and the impact on their family and friends. We all know we have issues in our own life we would prefer not hit the headlines, but somehow we are peaceful about discussing someones misfortunes over coffee. I feel very parched by all the heat and smoke generated and could use some grace to rain down on me and on these situations. I do not mean that I think that people who have been guilty of committing a crime should not be arrested and tried and even serve their time. I mean I wish we could feel compassion for their families, and for them for having made such poor choices and certainly that we might pray for redemption to come swiftly.
Will we learn from this crisis to prepare for others, sure. We will be smarter about these particular topics and we are learning how to respond effectively and rapidly to the people who are hurting. I hope we will let our hearts be touched and we will ask ourselves some tough questions. Are we truly all sinners saved by grace or are some of us above sin? Are there degrees of sin based on our understanding of what makes sin worse? Are we enjoying the misfortunes of others to feel better about ourselves? Can we love as God loves, as Jesus loved us, unconditionally? Is a public sin and disgrace enough of a reason to reject those who hurt us? And if we are to be forgiven as we forgive, how does that change the way we respond?
Let grace fall like rain so that we might embrace the complete unconditional love that God has for us. Out of that love, live as those who have nothing to prove and all of our Father's kingdom to gain, not as servants but as sons and daughters, full heirs and entitled to claim the high King as our Abba.
All of the sudden, the rain doesn't sound bad at all.
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