Storm Relief Reveals God’s Love
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
-- Matthew 5:14-16
It was a hauntingly familiar scene. Power truck after power truck after power truck lined Interstate 10 headed west toward the areas suffering from Hurricane and Tropical Storm Isaac. It is a measure of storm damage and human spirit.
These workers will spend numerous days, and possibly weeks, away from home and families to help people they don’t know. They won’t be alone. The Red Cross and other relief organizations were geared up as well. It’s the sort of thing you probably don’t appreciate until you’ve been in need.
Of course, some people just don’t understand. One man in Tallahassee was totally unconcerned about those without power or those facing flood waters. “As long as I’ve got power, I don’t care about anybody else,” the man said. I could only shake my head in disbelief. Where is his heart? Not with Jesus apparently.
Jesus told us to let our light shine out into the world. We’re to represent Him as we walk this earth. I know without a doubt that Jesus is with those who are hurting right now. He is there in the darkness. He is present in the flood waters. He is comforter, defender, strength and compassion. And so much more.
And we must do the same. Those people who go out into the storm give of themselves. Even those who get paid. Because it’s no vacation to work seven days a week for way too many hours. You push yourself forward because people need what you can do.
Memories of Ivan and Katrina will always be with me. I helped move Penske trucks and vans for weeks. We were so tired some days that all we could do was get a hotel room and sleep until we were refreshed enough to go again. And we had to go again. Because people were depending on us.
We moved trucks so that relief organizations could have a way to get supplies to hard-hit areas. We transported vans from a railway station in Mississippi to a staging area in Mobile so that the Red Cross could reach rural areas that were desperate for food and supplies. And we comforted people trying to salvage what they could, packing it away in a truck for a trip to drier ground.
We did what we could, knowing it wasn’t enough. When people are hurting and you can’t make it right for them, it’s never enough. But I’d like to think they knew people cared and that they found comfort in that.
Just as I pray people find comfort in the sight of utility workers headed toward a storm area. Or the church volunteers grilling hamburgers and hotdogs for folks who have no way to cook their own. Or the animal relief workers who remember pet food and chew sticks. Or the laundry trucks. Or, well, you understand. We remind people that God cares every time we do what we can, where we can, for people who are hurting. It’s really that simple.
