The Destructive Forces of Life

My town was hit by a "derecho" on Friday morning.  Not being a meteorologist I didn't know what hit us until the next day when I read its description in the newspaper.  All I  knew was that the power went off at 5 a.m. and didn't return quickly.  As the daylight began to shine in the darkness I saw a tree down in my backyard.  As neighbors began to move out word spread that the downtown area was pretty bad.  With chainsaw in tow I left to venture downtown (about 1/2 mile).  The damage was hard to describe.  Entire trees, 70-80 years old, laying on the ground with their root systems in full view, tree tops naked with the inner core shining as white beacons of a terrible fate.  Streets impassable due to electric lines and poles down or leaning skewed to the east.

What did I find that was good?  Cooperation and camaraderie unseen before. Other chainsaws were at work in the piles of trees, cutting away branches from the trunks so they could be lifted off of cars and removed from driveways.  City trucks from 30+ miles away driving through streets, machinery working to remove debris, all these signs that when tragedy strikes, humanity springs into action.  Professionals engaging their specialized skills to move trees from homes, some miraculously unscathed by the trees landing. People helping people.

You ask, how does this relate to the Bible Man blog?  It is the answer to life.  Individuals live such disengaged lives that only severe tragedy can shake them from their isolation.  But the reality is that on a daily basis lives are traumatized by the tragedies they endure. Many live isolated in a life of shelter, free from the effects of tragedy, when only a short distance away people we know and some we hardly know are suffering under the weight of fallen branches, unable to move through life in a normal fashion. How is this the answer to life? Life is most fulfilling when we get out of our small world and engage in life, side by side, with those who are hurting and in need.  Life is fulfilling when we look not to satisfy our needs but the needs of others.