Seen some of the news on Hurricane Harvey aftermath... cried a lot. I don't do well seeing people suffering like that... so many of my own memories come back. I know how hard it can be to lose everything you own, no matter how much or little that might be.
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I started some of my crafting projects and have a list of supplies I need to get when I reach a store. It feels so great to finally have a space to work in... and supplies to get some of it done. I need to work out project storage for things that take longer than one sitting to complete... with painting stages, drying stages, selling stages. It's getting there.
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It's hard to write about nothing important when I just finished watching the news. The twelfth anniversary of Katrina is today, and the area where people suffered then is in danger again. I don't think anyone can understand the depth of pain it causes just to be in danger of a repeat performance, the thought of recovering again, the need to replace so many things you own... except those who have been through it.
One day at a time... it is the only way to get through it, hanging on until you can see a new future.
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I guess that is what Faith is... hanging on until you can see a new future, knowing that GOD is on the other side of your pain, making the reasons clear or the sorrow meaningful for someone else you haven't met yet.
In our loss, in repeated loss, we discover what matters.
It isn't easy to lose your special treasures, your memorabilia, your photos, but we survive. We remember what is most important, and maybe we can replace some of the reminders we kept the first time around.
I keep trying to think of some connection with the Bible right now, but I can't. Christians take verses about pain and hope they will comfort the suffering, remind them of God's bigger truths... but they always seem so meaningless in the middle of a disaster. If you need food, only food matters. If you need to be warm, finding a safe shelter is all that matters. Later, when the adrenelin isn't what keeps you going, you can think better.
I tend to see all these things when I see others suffer... and hurt for them... wishing I could do more, maybe take away their pain, make it better. We grow through our suffering, so it isn't always the answer to take it away. Finding that special balance is the hardest part of wisdom, of faith, of mercy, of charity... trusting GOD when we can't do anything is how we have to live. Doing better in the future is how we go forward... like my food pantry efforts... trying to get away from crisis mode every month, having just a little ahead, enough to get through a hard place, and enough to share if it is needed.
I had a real big moment when I discovered, when I realized, that the suffering in our world keeps all of us human. I say that it keeps mercy and compassion alive in our world. We would be a tough place to live without our hearts being tender toward those who are around us... close to us more than far away from us. The homeless on the street corners need to survive as much as the victim of a hurricane or tornado. But we see them every day, they are always there, and they never get over their need... so giving to a big crisis is easier, more fulfilling, more gratifying... we just assume our help will make everything better even if we never see it.
No one can do everything for everybody, so measuring our hearts by how many suffering people are nearby won't solve anything either. The Bible does say that the poor will always be with us... poverty, and all its related issues, will never be "eradicated." If we all do as much as we can, the world will be better off, and we will be better people.
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
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May the GOD that I love shower mercy on those who discover a life-changing need in this disaster. May He find a way to protect the vulnerable and struggling, to replace the things we all need to make us feel whole and secure... shelter, food, our loved ones... transportation, work, safety, medication, money, time, comfort, hope. May our country find a way to prepare for the events we call "acts of God" so that they will always have a way to help those in need... every year, every season, every day. May the love that sometimes seems to be gone from our national heart find a way to grow again, to accept our humanity, our sameness, our uniqueness, our dreams, our special benefits to the greater nation. May we see the ability to change, in all of us. Amen.
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