Surviving the Hurricanes of Life

 Surviving the Hurricane of Life

It was the end of summer in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1979. I remember it well. The media screamed for days that a hurricane was approaching, and we had to take shelter. It was Labor Day Weekend. The media didn’t scare my mom, but because we lived in a mobile home, we had to evacuate. Hurricane David hit our city at 1:00AM. We were fortunate. We got the eye of the storm. Do you know the meme where the lawn furniture is knocked over? That was the extinct of the damage of Hurricane David for us in Daytona. It went out in the ocean, moved up the coast, and demolished a small town in South Carolina. 

Hurricanes are predictable, and yet, they are not. Their path of destruction can turn and hit an unexpecting town. The media screams for people to be prepared, but they also instill fear. Life has its hurricanes. In life, it is not if a hurricane will strike us, but when. From my own experience, I have discovered that with the hurricanes of life, we must be prepared, we must assess the damage, and we must ask for help as we have served others. 

Whether you have been a boy scout or a girl scout, you know one of the important part of the creeds is to be prepared. The only way we can face the storms in life is to have plans and materials in place. For a hurricane in Florida, people have working generators, supplies of water, and food stored for several days. For the storms of life, we must have our lives ready for the storms that hit us. We must be in prayer. Just because we pray, it doesn’t mean that God will take away our storm, but He will give us guidance of how to weather the storm. We know how to weather the storm when we are grounded in God’s Word. 

Being grounded in God’s Word is going beyond the sweet stories and understanding the context and how God works in the lives of humans. We must seek out understanding of passages that have been destroyed through the eyes of those who do not know or understand God. The way we do this is to read the Bible, take notes, read commentaries, and find people who understand the passages, either in books, podcasts, or real life. Real life relationships are also essential for preparing for a storm. 

Relating to people who care and understand your storm is critical for surviving the storm, and then eventually thriving. No one needs the mean tweets of people who either don’t exist or do not care about other humans who exist. We need people who empower us. Those who have been through the storms, empower and encourage us. Storms like cancer, actual storms that destroy our homes, broken relationships, or lost careers are survived with people. People weathering the storm with you help you with the damage and help with the clean-up, which leads you to healing. 

We must be ready for the after effect of the storm. Clean-up from Hurricane Ian will be immense. I spent a week in New Orleans six months after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city. There were so many church groups, humanity groups, and non-profit organizations that gathered for the clean-up to rebuild of the city. 

Before we could rebuild in New Orleans with the group that I served, we first had to clean-up the damage. I was there six months after the hurricane hit, and we were gutting homes and cleaning them out for people who did not have the financial means or the people to help them do that. When a hurricane hits your life, you must rid your life of the damaged goods that will hinder you from moving in the future. 

Your damaged goods could be physical ailments, broken relationships, loss of a career, or physical loss of material items. Those broken items can either be repaired or thrown out for new. I hate getting rid of items in my life that are sentimental or that I have spent time on creating and spending my life within them. In recent years, I have discovered that when I held those items too close, I was blinded with emotions that were harming and not open to what could be in front of me. 

We all have damaged goods that must be removed from our lives. We may have to employ the help of others to remove them. I have recognized in my life and in the lives of others that asking for help is a difficulty for many people. In New Orleans, the people had left their homes as is from the hurricane. Six months later when we were there to help, they decided to take our help. Our leader connected with agencies to find these people. Once we gutted out one home, a neighbor asked us for help with their home. It was eye opening to them that volunteers were there for them. We didn’t say, “No,” to anyone. 

We all must receive help when the hurricanes in life hit us. It’s not weak to receive help. It’s not socialism to have a group of people surround you and give you their talents, time, and gifts to help you recover from your storm. It’s humanity. In recent years, many have forgotten how to be human. Maybe it was the lockdown of the pandemic that created selfishness. If you don’t agree with people, you don’t get their help is a selfish and evil way to think. Jesus helped those who didn’t even believe in him. He fed those who were hungry and healed those who needed healing whether they followed him or not. We must be willing to receive the help, and when we have weathered the storm, we must step up and help those who are experiencing a similar storm. 

For those of us who are not in a time of a hurricane, we must reach out and empower and help those who are. For those of you who are weathering a storm, reach out for help. Many people in my social media have opened up about having cancer. They kept it to themselves for many months. Imagine the prayer warriors if they had given us their diagnosis from the beginning. People will not pity you. People will give you empathy. I have seen people connect people with doctors, lawyers, and new jobs because they were vulnerable and willing to allow others to serve them. 

We may not get financial help just because we are broke. We may receive advice. We may receive a way to find a job, or a job offer. For me, I discovered how to make my resume and cover letter better. I also discovered how to interview better. I did get prayer from prayer warriors, and it was from them that gave me strength. 

We all have storms in our lives. Reflecting on my life and the storms I had, I wish I had connected with others more and was more open about my status in life. Whenever I did tell people about my situation, I received good advice, friends, and prayers from people. I didn’t get pity. I didn’t get shamed. I got empowerment.

Hurricane Ian has hit. Let’s join in the effort to help those with their hurricanes to clean-up and move forward to thrive. Let’s help others and receive the help from others. We were not created to do life alone but in community. The church exists in community. The community can gather with one another and build you up. The help may not be what you want, (Many churches are financially strapped, so a handout of money may not be available) but it will always be what you need. For those of us not in a storm right now, let us be the church and serve those who are.