“I cry aloud to God, aloud
to God, that he may hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses
to be comforted. I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit
faints….When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they
were afraid; the very deep trembled. The clouds poured out water; the
skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your
thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the
earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your path,
through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your
people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Psalm 77:1-3,
16-20
The first: He came across a beach covered with stranded starfish. In the distance he saw an old man picking up starfish, one at a time, and throwing it back into the sea. “What are you doing, old man?” he laughed. “What difference can you possibly make?”
“All the difference in the world to this one,” said the old man as he rescued yet another starfish.”
And the second: The man prayed from the rooftop for God to rescue him. He turned back a jeep, a boat and a helicopter because he kept waiting for his miracle.
As we conclude this week, we begin to learn the lessons that Katrina is teaching. We have all, no doubt, been hearing amazing stories of individuals and organizations who have taken personal responsibility to do their part in being helpful. Children have raised money in many creative ways. People have opened their hearts, homes, churches and community centers to welcome the stranded.
One life at a time, one problem at a time, one challenge at a time, the rebuilding process has already begun. It will continue for a long time.
At the same time, we have come to realize the vast disparity among the victims. Those with means will do OK. They had transportation to get out and insurance to cover their losses. The hardest hit were those with nothing. The desperate conditions faced by poor hurricane victims are not all that different from the desperate conditions that the poor face every day.
Whether it was cold calculation or not, the truth is emerging that it was the poorest of the poor, the elderly and the infirm, who were left out of the emergency planning and among the last to be adequately cared for in the face of what everyone knew was the inevitable storm that would hit the Gulf Coast.
There is much talk now about personal responsibility. People taking personal responsibility for their own lives. People taking responsibility for their behaviors, their choices, their willingness to do what it takes to make it. People in elected offices taking personal responsibility for the roles they play. Government at every level reconsidering how disparate decisions can carry unintended consequences.
God led people through the water under the leadership of Moses – but that took Moses’ leadership and the willingness of the people to follow!
Let us pray: Gracious Lord, as the rescues give way to rebuilding, we continue to pray for the victims of Katrina and for those doing all they can to be helpful. We pray that you teach us what we need to learn and give us the willingness to learn those lessons well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment