I have seen disaster, first hand. Several times, now. The 2010 Flood in Nashville was the first heartbreaking disaster I experienced. It was devastating. The smells were horrific and I can still remember them, to this day. As I helped my sister-friend Lindsey clean out the debris from her parents’ home, it was heart wrenching to have to throw away precious treasures and family mementos. It was a long, grueling process to clean, rebuild and restore.
In 2016, I saw disaster again. The Gatlinburg wildfires destroyed my parents’ home and the homes around them. Everything was destroyed. Everything. We did not have any photos to survive the fire. I have read some articles and I have seen pictures from other people who went through fires and they had items blackened; charred around the edges, but still in tact. We were not as fortunate. Nothing, and I mean nothing survived the fire. It was one of the most painful sights I have ever seen … to see the almost 50 years of my parents’ marriage (they have now been married 53 years) burned to the ground.
Then, in 2017, Terry and I had our own disaster strike when Hurricane Irma ravished our home. The smells from Hurricane Irma were the most sickening smells I have ever endured in my life. We had a bait freezer tossed out of our home and into the driveway. Needless to say, our neighbors knew where we were just by the smell. We had over five feet of water inside and it took us over two years to rebuild and restore our home.
After the flood, after the fire and after the hurricane, I saw the goodness of God. In the midst of the debris, the disaster and the disgusting smells, I saw the beauty, the grace and the fragrance of Jesus. Every single time, people showed up.
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” - Psalm 27:13 (NIV)
After the flood, Lindsey and I were so sad to see all of Nanny’s and Pepper’s Christmas decorations ruined. I asked people to send ornaments to start a new collection, and Nanny said “Too many have arrived! Please tell people to help someone else.” So we started Operation Christmas Ornament and thousands of ornaments poured in from all over the country to help the people who lost their decorations from the flood. Seems like something minor, but for the first Christmas starting over, those ornaments were a reminder of beautiful hearts who want to love and help.
After the fire, friends were begging for ways to help my parents. A fund was launched and then gift cards, clothes, gifts and yes, Christmas ornaments filled their mailbox. For the first couple of months, our parents lived in a hotel while they put together a plan and tried to decide what to do next. The grace of God was seen as people lavished Mom and Dad with their love and support.
After the hurricane, Terry, Michala and I were overwhelmed with the horror all around us. We met neighbors we had never really known, who became our lifelong friends. Our church had so many people coming to help, it finally allowed our precious pastor the time to rest as he and his wife were so busy serving everyone all around them. Churches from all over came to help, and created a “project manager” each week, to help remove the burden from our pastor’s shoulders. The fragrance of Jesus was all around us.
It can be overwhelming to walk through the path from a disaster. The enemy will try to consume your thoughts with doubt and fear. But I remain confident of this: You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Let’s love people really hard, really well and really consistently. Let’s love them by serving them when they need it, most. Let’s be the face of Jesus to remind them He will clean, repair, rebuild and restore.