Everything's gonna be okay....

I never took tornadoes seriously until last Wednesday.  I'd lived through possibly hundreds of warning sirens over my lifetime without ever having lost a loved one or my home being damaged.  Even my friends and the areas I was familiar with had always escaped unscathed.



But not this time.



In God's mercy, our lives and our home were spared.  My family is safe, their homes are fine as well.  But destruction is all around us.  People keep saying it looks like a war zone, and it really does.  Last night Trevvor and I drove to Tuscaloosa, where it was hit even harder.  Places I used to hang out all the time, friends' apartments... leveled.  One of our friends was killed; we went for his memorial service.  A mile away from us here in Fultondale two apartment complexes were ripped apart.  Some houses in a nearby neighborhood are leveled, some only damaged, and some perfectly fine, with no rhyme or reason to it.



It's like it should be a movie, but it's real.



But even in the face of this absolute devastation and heartbreak, there is hope and light.  God's people have gathered like I've never seen before in person.  It's incredible!  There are people streaming in on every hand to help in the name of the Lord.  It has been amazing to watch the unity all around me, unity transcending color, class, and even religion.



I can't help but have the fleeting thoughts.. "Why did Marcus have to die?" "Why them and not us?" "Why do You allow weather to even do this?"

But there is no "why," at least, not the kind of "why" I'm looking for.  There is no answer that we can understand.  But through it all, God is sovereign.  He is able to work through any circumstances for His purposes.  All we can do is help one another with our time, our money, and even by donating our blood.  But the most important thing we can do is pray.  Pray that God will be glorified, praise Him in this storm!  Pray for friends, family, neighbors, people you don't even know, that through all this pain and suffering they can see the loving hand of God.



I hope this has been articulate... my mind is still reeling, trying to work through all of this, trying to know what to do.  But ultimately, all I can do is trust in the One who is bigger, mightier, and more powerful than any tornado.