God's Whisper in the Wind

The Storm is over and much of the clean-up is complete. Life is beginning to return to normal again. Normal? What does a normal life look like? I really hate to see our lives returning to the way they were before the storm. On Sunday September 14, 2008 when hurricane-force winds hit our area for over three hours, life changed. Much of our city was without power for a week. Our once quiet neighborhoods looked like a war zone. There were trees strewn all over the streets, on top of houses, across cars, and literally ripping powerlines from their poles. There was an incredible amount of damage and many people lost everything in their refrigerators and freezers. It was a difficult week.
However, it was also an incredibly good week. In the aftermath of the storm, we saw our community arise out of the ashes like the Phoenix. As my wife and I walked through the city the afternoon of the storm we saw the incredible damage, but we also saw an uplifting sight. We saw people standing in their yards talking to one another. We saw neighbors helping neighbors, cutting up trees with one another, moving tree limbs, and making plans to share meals together by cooking out to use their meat before it spoiled. As the week progressed we saw the city officials reach out to the residents and take an active approach to provide for the needs of the people. We saw crews of volunteers cutting down trees for neighbors, meals provided for the hungry, and a massive food distribution for those who had lost food.
While the storm packed an incredible destructive punch, it brought with it the whisper of God. For in the aftermath of the storm our community discovered what it meant to love your neighbor; and, for the first time in a long time people saw Jesus in the lives of God's people. We made a difference. We reached out to our neighbors. We talked to them. I don't want to return to normal. I want to continue to experience the supernatural touch of God upon our lives. I want to continue hearing His whisper in the wind. May we never get too busy again to hear God's Whisper in the Wind.