What Disasters Teach Us

Matthew 10:29-31 - Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Vermont typically is not in danger from hurricanes. But in 2012 the land locked state was hit hard by the after effects of Hurricane Irene. Southern Vermont was devastated and many towns there were forever altered. Northfield and Waterbury, both in Central Vermont, were also badly hit. At the time, I was the Director of the Green Mountain Baptist Association. In that role I was involved in a whirlwind of activity helping coordinate relief efforts.

One evening as I drove through a small village looking at all the ruined possessions laying in people's front yards, it made me appreciate what God had given me. Clothes, furniture, kitchen appliances, books and all manner of personal possessions were in pile after pile. People had no idea a few days ago that so many of their personal possessions would lie in ruins on their front lawns. The flood waters had ruined these items. Though they had once held great value to the owners, now they were simply waiting to be loaded into a dumpster and thrown away. At first glance, it would seem that people's whole lives were in their front yards.

But our lives are not just the accumulation of possessions. As bad as the floods were across our state, only a handful of people lost their lives. The vast majority of people only lost their belongings. While I do not mean to make light of the loss of one's possessions, I would suspect that if we interviewed any of those flood victims, they would all agree that having their family safe was far more important than having those piles of possessions back. As long as we have each other, we will have our most important possessions.

Lord, help us appreciate the people in our lives and not focus so much on our possessions. Amen.

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This devotional is from the book “Heavenly Mundane” by Dr. Terry W. Dorsett. Dr. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY