I have a memory of my sisters and me enjoying the light breeze out by the street in front of our house, gazing at the beautiful sky. We were surrounded, far out in the distance, by a great wall of dark and stormy clouds. We were standing in the eye of Hurricane Cleo. Soon the wind began to get stronger, and our father called us in. The eye of the hurricane is a deceptively beautiful place—sunny, quiet and peaceful. It is the calm place in the middle of the storm.
My family told the story of the time both sets of my mother’s grandparents witnessed the horrors of the Great Miami Hurricane. When it was over, more than one thousand people were declared dead or missing just in Miami. My great-grandmother told me of waist-high water in the streets and knee-high sand everywhere left behind. One very costly lesson learned that day in 1926 was about the eye of the hurricane. When the eye passed overhead, hundreds of people went outside thinking the storm was over. Recorded winds of 145 mph were swirling in the eye wall, the most dangerous part of the hurricane. Hundreds of people died when they could not take shelter fast enough as the destructive eye of the storm moved up through Florida.
We are recent witnesses to the vast destruction of Helene, from north Florida through Appalachia, and the heroic efforts of recovery that will be underway for months now, if not longer. As I write this, the massive hurricane Milton is targeting central and south Florida. Even hurricane-experienced survivors know better than to shelter in place for this one. Enjoy the calm places of your days; storms are always swirling nearby. My dad drilled bolts into the concrete blocks of the outside walls of our house when we moved in, so it would be easier to attach the plywood boards over the windows and some doors. We were always prepared as well as possible from whatever storm would come our way. We knew the story of Jesus, who calmed a fearful storm one day. Where is your calm place? How are you preparing for the swirling storms of life?
Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Peace, be still. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.
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