Silence filled the air as we crept along the deserted streets. It was as if we were in a long line of cars headed to a burial ground. It seemed no one knew what to say except the occasional, “Wow, look at that!” in a whispered tone. 

     A few years ago, a trip to the beach took us by the hurricane ravished shores of the gulf coast. Although we had seen the footage on TV, we were not prepared for how severely damaged the area was. It had been a year since the area was hit, but that year had made little difference as the clean up from something this devastating is tremendously slow. 

    On the beach side, a few vacationers, trying to regain the feel of the “old days”, walked along the water’s edge. But they looked sadly out of place as the feel of the area is anything but “vacation-like.” Across the street, the remains of elegant homes that once graced this beautiful Southern town seemed even more out of place.  The wood, glass, and brick that were once so delicately put together now sat in huge piles waiting their turn to be pushed aside. The many families who laughed and played inside of them are left with nothing but their photographs, knowing they will never experience the once-so-familiar with their hands and feet again. It is gone.

    But, here’s what seemed even more out of place. Surrounding the debris still stands the most beautiful trees. And not all of them were huge trees, the ones you would expect to survive a hurricane; many were small, but still standing straight and tall as if trying to fiercely guard what was left of their home.  It was almost surreal to see a driveway leading to nothing but a landscaped yard filled with trees that were obviously planted intentionally to give definition and grandeur to a street that faced such an extravagant expanse as the ocean. 

    It begs the question, how can a little tree survive such massive wind and water damage, but a house cannot? The answer is really obvious. The tree was built by God and the house was built by man. What a great, vivid reminder of the power of God to mold us into something strong and capable of enduring even the toughest of days and to stand tall and victorious when the things of man will surely collapse. Colossians 2:10 tells us how to make this happen. It says “…live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” 

   It really goes back to that familiar children’s song. You’re probably humming it in your head right now. The foolish man……upon the sand…And the rains came tumbling down. The wise man …..upon the rock…. And the rains came… and the wise man’s house stood FIRM. You got it! 

    Let the aftermath of the hurricane reaffirm to all of us that we should live our life in such a way that when the hurricanes of life come and everything else crumbles to the ground, we will be left standing because our roots are deep and held firm by the love and grace of God.

    Remember that the foundation God gave to us is the Bible and we’re told that it is alive and still works today. Refer to His word when in doubt about recovering from any of life’s hurricanes. 

Have a great week, grounded and rooted in Him forever.