How Do You Respond to the Biggest Storm in Decades?
With the passing of Hurricane Irma, I have had plenty of time to think, wait and respond accordingly. That’s what happens when you don’t have power! The only thing that really kept coming to my mind was one simple word.
RESPOND.
In the light of both Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Irma here in Florida, it has amazed me at how well our human race has responded to catastrophe. Now I’m not saying that EVERYONE responded well, but I have seen and heard of many people responding in a number of different ways (all of which leave their own unique impact).I have heard stories of people travelling to Houston to help out anyone in need. The “Cajun Navy” which was a group of people with boats who took it upon themselves to go save those in need. Fundraising has also been happening consistently and impressively. Being close to this storm in Florida, I see friends and family welcoming others into their homes, and doing anything necessary to help those in need.The beautiful thing about responding well is that there is no perfect way or one way to do it. It can be done in all sorts of different ways. Helping stray animals you encounter. It could be by donating money, or by helping clean up a home or yard.
Related Post: What do you believe about Gods response to prayers?
I started wondering how Jesus would have responded in similar situations.
Two things came to mind:
- Jesus Would Remain Calm – (Matthew 8:23-27) When the disciples woke Him up in the middle of a storm on a boat, he did not panic or “freak out” he was calm and simple told the weather to stop.
- Jesus Would Take Action – Multiple times in the New Testament, Jesus would come across an individual in need, and regardless of what others had done, or what the situation was, He always took action. Whether it was healing a man at the city gates (John 5:1-15), or speaking to a woman at the well (John 4:7-26), Jesus took action and made an impact.
Again, let me be very clear, it doesn’t matter what you do, or how you do it. But in the light of catastrophe Remain Calm and Take Action. If you are not calm, and remain anxious others around you will feed off of it. You have the ability just as Jesus did to take a stressful situation and calm it. You can simply respond well and in a calm manner. This is exactly what you are taught to do on an airplane, or during a fire. “Remain calm and proceed to the nearest exit.” Humans respond better as a group when we are calm.I don’t want to take up much more time here for a couple of reasons. One is that I am running on limited battery life. The other is that you should take time to think about how you respond in your own way.It is times like these that we can easily be the Hands and Feet of Jesus. During a time where the world could use an extra hand, respond as Jesus would.