Submitted by Jim Garner
“Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you
in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Spring is a great
time of the year! We’ve come through the cold and long, dark nights of the
winter season to enjoy the warmth and longer days of daylight savings
time. Flowers, shrubs, and lawns
“spring” to life again as they bloom or turn green. People get outside more to
work and play. (Mom’s are especially glad as their little kids can get out of
the house to run around and scream outside all they want after being cooped up
inside the house)
But to me
personally, spring reminds me of something else. It brings back memories I
would sometimes rather just forget. One of those took place on April 10, 1979
in the city of Wichita Falls, TX where I grew up. We were hit with one of the
biggest storm systems and tornado’s recorded by the national weather service.
It became known as “Terrible Tuesday”, a day I will never forget.
It was spring break
and weather forecasters were already predicting this to be a challenging day
with intense storms and possible tornados. Being a kid, I remember I was
outside playing with friends in between the ever-changing weather patterns of the
day. It was strange as we dealt with a crazy cycle of storms, clearing to blue
skies, followed by another round of storms coming through. We found ourselves
in constant severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. A few local towns around
us had already been hit by tornados that afternoon when a large system made a
line for Wichita Falls in the early evening.
Just a few minutes
after 6:00pm weather spotters observed and photographers recorded three funnels
coming out of the sky just southwest of town and combining to make for one
large super storm with a tornado now over a mile wide and bearing down on the
city. Local weatherman warned residents to take cover as this monster came
across the entire southern part of the city doing damage to homes, businesses, schools,
and churches devastating the lives of those it touched. The toll was 44 dead
(many more injured), tens of thousands left homeless, and hundreds of millions
of dollars in damages. Indeed, it was a “terrible Tuesday”.
I remember our
family crawling out of the debris to find everything, as we once knew it, now
gone. Walls were rubble, family keepsakes were scattered across neighboring
properties, and a stranger’s pickup truck landed in our kitchen just a few feet
from where we had taken cover after being tossed through the air with the
storm’s incredibly powerful winds. The only thing literally standing was the
closet wall in which we were hiding in the center of the house. They weren’t
much but had collapsed upon us forming an A-frame of protection.
With all the
destruction I remember asking my mom as we surveyed the damage to our home and
our neighborhood: “What are we going to do now?” She calmly told me: “Son, we
are okay. Just thank God for his protection. The only thing that matters is
that we are alive. He will provide.”
Over the days ahead
we cleaned up the property to rebuild our house. By one and a half years later
we once again had a place to call home. It had been a long journey but we made
it.
The journey! There
are good days and there are bad days. That’s what life is about. It is in the
journey, especially the days that hold challenge for us that we find out a lot
about life – both in others and us. We don’t want the difficult experiences,
nor would I wish them on anyone else, but we need them. Why? Because they can
help us mature in our faith and build character in our lives to become the
people God wants us to be and others need us to be.
“Circumstances” that
we face in life are not always going to be pleasant or easy. But I believe they
have an incredible purpose when we accept them with the proper understanding.
Paul’s words to the believers at the church in Thessalonica are quite
challenging: “give thanks in all circumstances”. (v.18) What? Give thanks?
Most of us are “all in” when it comes to giving thanks when things are going
well but this passage does not say that at all. It says in “all” circumstances. That’s not very fun nor does it
seem fair sometimes. But notice the preposition used here – “in”. It doesn’t say to give thanks “for” all circumstances. We are
challenged to give thanks in the midst of circumstances – both good and
bad. That isn’t easy at all, but once we learn to trust God in the middle of
whatever we might be facing, life gets a whole lot easier.
Paul prefaces it
with some tips for understanding: “rejoice
and pray”. That’s pretty good advice for whatever circumstance in which we
find ourselves. I know the evening of our tornado I learned a lot more about
rejoicing, giving thanks, and praying. No, I would rather not have gone through
that experience. But I’m thankful for the Lord, His protection and guidance, as
well as the things I learned in the middle of it and how they have impacted my
life.
“Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your
God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
