We take a break from our series on the book of Mark to address the situation in Florida right now.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13 - Love never fails. But
where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will
be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part
disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood
behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.
This week has been quite an emotional roller coaster. It began while, in the midst of dealing with
my truck breaking down, I was summoned to Jacksonville with my brother (who has
been battling cancer for the last 8-9 months) being admitted to the ICU with the
family being told that he might not survive.
Over the next few days, he fought hard and pulled through. He continues to improve as I write this and all
the McCreazies are immensely thankful to God for that. While that was all unfolding, Hurricane Ian was
moving off the mainland of Cuba and taking aim at Florida. Ian ended up making landfall among the
barrier islands of southwest Florida yesterday.
One of those islands, Pine Island, is where I served my last church
before moving to Hernando just over a year ago.
The early reports from the island are heartbreaking. The bridge to the mainland is washed away, many
treasured landmarks are gone, and countless homes and business are completely
destroyed. There are unconfirmed reports
of many deaths and I fear that we haven’t heard the worst yet. Even
inland, in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, the videos and reports are catastrophic.
My son and his
girlfriend were in Fort Myers just hours before the storm hit and thankfully
were able to make it to our home in Hernando around midday yesterday. Hernando has been largely unaffected by the storm
while it is currently passing over Orlando where my oldest daughter is and is
projected to move toward Jacksonville where the rest of my family is over the
next day or two.
So, I find myself filled with this insane mixture of
emotions. I am so grateful for the
improvement my brother’s condition, though he still has mountains of adversity
ahead of him. I am so relieved my son
and his girlfriend arrived safely at our home.
I have mixed feelings about Hernando being largely untouched by Ian
because I know people that I dearly love have not been so fortunate. Further, not knowing about how so many more people
I love are doing right now is a heavy burden.
And finally, I find myself feeling a bit silly for sharing my concerns
because I am safe, healthy, and not in danger. I feel a bit schizophrenic at
the moment.
Pulling up from all of this to gain a wider perspective, the
underlying reason for all these competing emotions is the web of strong
relationships in my life. My fears,
worries, praises, fits of gratitude, grief, moments of relief mixed with awe,
and all the other emotions I have difficulty naming stem directly from the love
I have for so many people and the love so many people have for me. Such is the way in which God has blessed me and
so many of you. So I’ll take it and
thank God for all of it, even the parts that hurt. The alternative is being completely isolated,
alone, caring for nothing and no one other than myself. I want no part of that.
So today and the coming days, I’ll pray for all those I love
in need, being sure to mix all my petitions with praise and thanksgiving. I will look for tangible ways for me (and
those I lead) to help those who are devastated and facing the unknown. I will hug my loved ones tighter and reach
out to people that haven’t heard from me in a while. Somewhere in all of that, my truck will get
fixed too. Life and love goes on. The roller coaster ride continues. Praise be
to God for all of it.
Question: What is the
connection between the positive and/or negative emotions you are experiencing right
now and your relationships with people you love?
Prayer: God, thank
you for all of it – the good, the bad, the ugly, the painful, the joyful and
everything else. Help me embrace all of
it as an opportunity to love well and serve the greater good. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray a
little more for all the people that tug at your emotions right now.
Song: Stubborn Love –
The Lumineers
This song came to mind while I was writing the above. It obviously was written about a romantic
relationship, but I think a lot of what is said applies to what I was talking
about.
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