IS THERE ANY REAL GOOD IN A NATURAL DISASTER?.....TAKEN FROM GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE During this past week Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most violent storms ever recorded, ripped through the mid-section of the Philippines and virtually destroyed the city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte. Thousands perished and neighborhood after neighborhood was destroyed. We all grieved as we saw the faces of people who had lost loved ones and were now suffering in the aftermath of the storm. The stories of the worst of human behavior followed as well as heroic stories of people watching out for and caring for one another. This quickly takes me to the point I want to make in my weekly comments to you: What good can we possibly derive from a horrible experience like this? Pundits and philosophers alike are standing by with criticism of or denial of an all-powerful God who certainly could keep a tragedy like this from happening. To me, these experience and manifestations of the milk of human kindness represent a significant expression of Christian response. A crisis and tragedy brings people together. Part of me wishes that we could practice that goodness in our everyday conditions, but a crisis does give us perspective—we can learn lessons and experience what we should be doing more in normal times. In short, while I grieve at the suffering and loss, I also rejoice in the good. The reality of our environment is that we live in a world subject to what we experienced last week. It has always been and will continue until a time when a new world will replace this one. That is our ultimate hope...and represents a hope highlighted in times of disaster. In closing, consider these words that Paul wrote in Romans 8:20-24….For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope...
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 15:32:22 +0000
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