Hurricanes in our Hearts

I dont write a lot down on paper and so a lot of thoughts and feelings I have shared with family and friends have either become part of their memories or have disappeared forever.  When I got home from Miami I didnt have any clue what I wanted to talk to people about, however as I sat on the stand and was a few minutes from taking the pulpit I realized what everything was all about, "Hurricanes in our Hearts".  I experienced Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma while in Miami.  Both hurricanes were category 3s when they hit us.  The winds were upwards of 100 mph and the force was incredible.  Hurricanes are the most beautifully destructive thing I have ever experienced.  There really is something freakily beautiful in natures destructive power.  After a hurricane everything is left devastated.  The initial destruction is not what you worry about, its the after effects.  The lack of clean, drinkable tap water.  The lack of power for weeks or months.  The lack of a warm shower.  Having to clear and help friends and neighbors clear all the fallen trees, mend the broken fences, and mend their hearts and souls.  Really hurricanes are all about the last part. Hurricanes are a battle of heart, soul, and will.  The only way to get through it is by loving each other and loving Christ.  Trials in life will be our hurricanes.  Trials can leave us without power, with debris, and brokenness.  As we seek to lift ourselves up we must first do the unthinkable, turn and start lifting everyone else up.  It is easy to think, hey ill take care of myself and my own first and then ill worry about everyone else.  The truth is as we do the unthinkable and start pushing and lifting with those around us we will find God reaching down to push and pull with us.  Behold the lillies of the field.  If we our worried about our own needs we first need to relax and feed Christs sheep.