Storm Damage

Watching a man from London being interviewed on the TV news this lunchtime standing in front of his broken house and crushed car, I was made aware how long it can take to recover from storm damage. Of course, the effects of storms Dudley and Eunice in the UK recently will be cleared away, and will be done so much more quickly than parts of the world affected by flooding and landslides where there are no sophisticated means of repair. Never-the-less, the emotional and psychological pain of storm damage may take a lot longer than the physical effects, to make good.

Part of the pain is the shock of the unwanted, unsolicited violation of your property and potential safety. A sudden, unexpected intrusion into a world that seemed so normal and predictable, blown your way by some faceless blast, even if it is given a fancy name by the Met Office. However sophisticated our Western lifestyle might have become, it only takes a big storm to make us aware of our fragility and the potential for everything to change overnight, literally.

Life's storms are very real. In a moment, what was chugging along nicely can be turned on its head. Where once were security and familiar circumstances there can come uncertainty and chaos, bringing with them fear and apprehension on a grand scale. For me it was the sudden onslaught of devastating chronic ill health. Along with it came a flood of problems like - how will we pay our rent? Who will provide food for our family? Will I even survive?

Thank God that we don't have to face life's storms alone. God says 'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.' (Isaiah 43:2). The storms of life can be endured and overcome when we know the active, manifest presence of Almighty God with us. That's why I published my book 'Through the Storms; a manual for when life hurts'. If you are going through devastating storms right now, or you know someone who is, get a copy of this book for yourself or to give to them. Click here to order one in paperback or Kindle format. Or you can email me to obtain a signed copy at throughthestorms750@gmail.com.

It's likely that many more would have died, and much greater damage would have been done, if the Met Office in the UK had not warned in advance about these storms, and the authorities put in place strategies to cope. Don't wait till the waters rise or the floods come. Remember the motto of the Scouts movement; 'Be Prepared!'

 

Baby Steps to Freedom

 

As Covid restrictions ease and, at least legally, end completely in Guernsey after February 17th, and in the UK a couple of weeks later, there will be some of us feeling a bit nervous. The two-year long battle against this unseen but potentially deadly foe has taken its toll on us all, whether we have had Covid or not. Some have lost loved ones whilst many have been shielding, afraid of going out. We are grateful for one of the best vaccination records in the world and for all the care and oversight of our medical and Public Health teams, but it feels strange to be coming out of this pandemic with hundreds of cases in our islands and lots of new ones being discovered each day.

Taking baby steps out of the pandemic is a challenge to our faith, our hope, and our love. Our faith because we must choose not to let fear dominate us in the aftermath of all we have been through. Our trust in God means that we need to heed the many ‘fear nots’ in the Bible (some say that there are 366 – one for every day of the year and one for a leap year) and choose to be grateful for the amazing grace that has seen us through thus far and will take us forwards. Faith in our dedicated public health and medical teams is also well founded given their track record. And hope, because ultimately our hope is in God, his faithfulness, and his promises. The opposite of hope is despair and no good ever came out of that, so we don’t want to go there. Keeping a positive and hopeful attitude can see us through the most appalling difficulties if we put our trust in God, so as we climb up the other side of this viral valley it is needed more than ever.

Love means that we recognise that not everybody is travelling out of this pandemic at the same speed. Some feel very unsure, vulnerable, and uncertain, while others are bruised by grief, financial hardship, and loss. We can help one another by respect and patience and by simple words of encouragement that can lift a heavy load. Faith, hope and love may be the three main virtues of the Christian faith, but they make good sense for people of all faiths or of none as we move into the uncharted waters of recovery from a devastating global pandemic.