Thursday, May 04, 2006
Tsunami
I'm sure most of you don't know this, but an earthquake occurred in Tonga this morning at 4:28 that was an 8.1 on the scales. Because of its shallow depth, it could have caused a tsunami the size of the one last year. The Tonga Islands are 1000 miles north of New Zealand, so obviously, we were put on alert along with most of the Pacific, including Hawaii. I received a phone call from my dad shortly after he heard the news on the radio about contacting those you know in NZ to tell them about this breaking news. Crazy, isn't it? How your world can be so at rest and peace one moment and then the very next completely in aparent chaos? Even with our high-tech gadgets and weather system controls (which they're even more wrong about weather here than they are in Knoxville, if you can picture that..), even with these things, a tsunami can happen within moments and no one can do anything about it. The earthquake hit at 4:28, as I said, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had predictions as to when the tsunami, if generated, would hit other countries. New Zealand was set to be hit somewhere around 6:20.
As I got off the phone with my dad, I realized the almost panic that was whelling up inside me. But you know what happened? I was instantly brought under God's "canopy". Let me explain. For the past week I've been going over and over 2 verses of the Bible and knew somehow that they held eternal meaning to me, I was just unaware as to that meaning. "Over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain" (Isaiah 4:5b-6). The Glory of God- aka the true will and desire of God. It's the secret to knowing the direction God desires for our lives, it's the answer to our burdens and uneasiness, it's the joy that surrounds living in Christ amidst the chaos of the world. To truly live in Jesus to the fullest is to live in the canopy of grace- the place of calm although the storm rages, a place of shade amidst the dying heat that takes the breath out of you. You are my hiding place, you will protect me from times of trouble. Mr. Klimas once told my dad that you know you're within the will of God when you have a sense of peace about what you're doing. The words of Isaiah make this statement factual. No matter the circumstances, no matter the request, no matter the duty, if you have peace you are within the "canopy" and you can live confidently and securely knowing that you walk the straight and narrow path to gain the eternal victory that is in Christ Jesus. So how does this relate to my feelings of panic? I realized in that moment that God has put me here in NZ at this very moment and whatever was to happen was within His will so although chaos seemed on its way, peace indwelled me. Plus, I kept saying to myself, "KT, your God is bigger than you doing no good getting worked up about this. Don't you know He's got it under control?"
Another lesson I was taught this morning was how to love someone. When I was woken up at 5, my mind raced as to who to call and tell here and how to actually get to safety. I didn't call anyone because, you see, I wanted to make sure it was legitimate before "disturbing" someone. People that love you WILL interrupt your life. They take no regard for waking you up, because their concern for your life and for others is far greater. Getting that phone call at 5 am meant more to me than any present or words that could have been spoken. It was action, it was a deliberate decision to be concerned more about the other person than what they might think of you after that. That's so crucial for a real relationship with another person. It made me ask, "Do I love my friends and family enough that I would call them out when they do something that doesn't portray the person they want to be in Jesus, or am I willing to be honest with a friend about poor actions or decisions?" We let things slide all the time that people do because we tell ourselves we don't want to upset the person, and we fear them getting angry with us or worse, not wanting to be friends with us anymore. But you know, to be a true friend is the only way to help someone be who they're capable of being. If you're upset about something, tell them, howelse will you grow closer to one another? If you see an action someone shouldn't have done, tell them, how else will they know how others perceive what they do? If I look back on my life, the only people that I have remained near to are those that see who I can be, and aren't afraid to tell me when I'm not being that person. And somehow, amidst seeing this, I still have a hard time being that friend, and honestly, it's because I care more about myself than I do other people. Until that stops, until we step out and boldly, yet lovingly, express honesty toward those closest to us, how can we show people what our God is really like?
As I got off the phone with my dad, I realized the almost panic that was whelling up inside me. But you know what happened? I was instantly brought under God's "canopy". Let me explain. For the past week I've been going over and over 2 verses of the Bible and knew somehow that they held eternal meaning to me, I was just unaware as to that meaning. "Over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain" (Isaiah 4:5b-6). The Glory of God- aka the true will and desire of God. It's the secret to knowing the direction God desires for our lives, it's the answer to our burdens and uneasiness, it's the joy that surrounds living in Christ amidst the chaos of the world. To truly live in Jesus to the fullest is to live in the canopy of grace- the place of calm although the storm rages, a place of shade amidst the dying heat that takes the breath out of you. You are my hiding place, you will protect me from times of trouble. Mr. Klimas once told my dad that you know you're within the will of God when you have a sense of peace about what you're doing. The words of Isaiah make this statement factual. No matter the circumstances, no matter the request, no matter the duty, if you have peace you are within the "canopy" and you can live confidently and securely knowing that you walk the straight and narrow path to gain the eternal victory that is in Christ Jesus. So how does this relate to my feelings of panic? I realized in that moment that God has put me here in NZ at this very moment and whatever was to happen was within His will so although chaos seemed on its way, peace indwelled me. Plus, I kept saying to myself, "KT, your God is bigger than you doing no good getting worked up about this. Don't you know He's got it under control?"
Another lesson I was taught this morning was how to love someone. When I was woken up at 5, my mind raced as to who to call and tell here and how to actually get to safety. I didn't call anyone because, you see, I wanted to make sure it was legitimate before "disturbing" someone. People that love you WILL interrupt your life. They take no regard for waking you up, because their concern for your life and for others is far greater. Getting that phone call at 5 am meant more to me than any present or words that could have been spoken. It was action, it was a deliberate decision to be concerned more about the other person than what they might think of you after that. That's so crucial for a real relationship with another person. It made me ask, "Do I love my friends and family enough that I would call them out when they do something that doesn't portray the person they want to be in Jesus, or am I willing to be honest with a friend about poor actions or decisions?" We let things slide all the time that people do because we tell ourselves we don't want to upset the person, and we fear them getting angry with us or worse, not wanting to be friends with us anymore. But you know, to be a true friend is the only way to help someone be who they're capable of being. If you're upset about something, tell them, howelse will you grow closer to one another? If you see an action someone shouldn't have done, tell them, how else will they know how others perceive what they do? If I look back on my life, the only people that I have remained near to are those that see who I can be, and aren't afraid to tell me when I'm not being that person. And somehow, amidst seeing this, I still have a hard time being that friend, and honestly, it's because I care more about myself than I do other people. Until that stops, until we step out and boldly, yet lovingly, express honesty toward those closest to us, how can we show people what our God is really like?
