Tip of My Iceberg

Waiting is the hard part. It’s only hours away.

We know Irma is coming. With the constant updates on all channels, it heightens the panic because everyone is speaking in “dire distress” mode.

My sweet friend, Julie, has aptly nicknamed this “Irmageddon”.

It’s not really stopped raining here for days–part of Florida weather exacerbated by hurricane. We’ve watched as our good neighbors, Ed and Sylvia, boarded up their windows and put a barrier on their front door. I value their preparedness and now wish we’d been a little more intentional.

Friends have scattered to other places. Some, not having experience with hurricanes, were genuinely fearful. Others are being careful as they take precautions for their families.

Ready or not, here she comes.

It feels a bit like we’re preparing for a war with nature. We can’t contain this, we’ve some intel that allows us to fortify, but until she strikes, there’s nothing we can do but wait.

We’ve no control over this monster storm.

It’s interesting to hear people talk who don’t live here. They’ve no context for what this is like and are rightfully concerned. I love that my family across the country–and friends across the pond–are asking how we’re doing.

We’re not the only ones suffering. My friend Judy reminded me of the incredible damage fires are causing in the Pacific Northwest. Mexico experienced an 8.2 earthquake just a few days ago that destroyed villages, killing many. Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, India and Nepal are struggling with massive mudslides and flooding after huge storms causing loss of lives and property.

Natural catastrophes are everywhere. We’ve got greater capacity to prepare for and protect ourselves from them.

This is the most widely publicized, most thoroughly tracked storm ever. We know a lot because of our technology, and we use that freely to protect and provide for our people.

First world problems.

We will likely lose power. We may get water damage from the sheer volume of rain. We may lose shingles.

But we don’t live in an area where there’s a storm surge. We’re not located on high ground (none really exist in Florida) where mudslides would be an issue.

I’m dealing with the inconvenience of waiting and the possibility of discomfort from lack of electricity.

First world problems.

Is God with us in the storms? Yes. He says it rains–hurricanes, earthquakes–on the just and the unjust. We can’t blame it on a person or global warming or melting ice caps. We can blame it on the millennia of treating our earth and one another selfishly, for our own gain. We’re all at fault. Because of global self-centeredness, we’re all at risk.

Irma has and will cause an immense amount of damage and loss, just like Harvey did. There have been those who’ve lost everything, including their lives. Others have been left devastated.

So I wait. Wondering what it will look like in 24 hours.

Knowing I’m not defined by possessions that could be stripped away by the storm.

I’m defined by the One who can calm the storm–especially the ones in me.