They took us downtown today in groups of three to take any of our personal items that had been left behind and I privileged to yet another eye opener.
On Tuesday, yes, just this past Tuesday, we went down to pull out more equipment and discovered the downtown area was infested with workers trying to assess the mess. It was literally chaos. A war zone. Vehicles parked all over the streets with just enough room to drive through, debris, and mud everywhere.
Today as I looked around down there I would say organized chaos. People have had a few days to view the carnage and get an initial assessment of their situations.
There were neat piles of garbage ready to be hauled away and lower levels have been pretty well pumped out. It's still a mess but there is a strong sense of determination and fortitude that bubbles from the laborers. It is quite impressive.
In a former post I indicated how proud I was of my coworkers and the leadership we are blessed with as to how our part was handled in all of this muck but I want to expand this to my compatriots from the downtown district as they have accepted the fact that there is loss but they are not dwelling on that thought, they have rolled up their sleeves and are "gittin' 'er done!" Go Cedar Rapids, Go!
Through it all God has shown His hand of grace. I think sometimes it's hard to see His hand in times such as we face today but when you step back and just look you begin to see that it is His Spirit guiding the whole thing.
Why has this happened here? Why are so many of our loved ones made to suffer so much? These are age old questions that don't always have a clear cut and dry answer but it is clear that God is in and amongst us because He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
It will be a long road to recovery and there may be some of our brothers in business that never fully recover, in fact I don't know if we'll ever go back to that building again but the things of God will move forward and His purpose will be fulfilled with this disaster.
What is all of this about? I don't have an answer but I do know God is stretching out His hand to all those who do not know Him, draw those who do know Him closer and show the rest of us what He is willing to do to get our attention.
Could there be something else beyond this? Yes indeed there could be but we may never know.
Sometimes the lack of knowledge which, in reality, is a lack of control, fills us with anxiety and dread. It's during these times that we must fully employ the faith we have in Christ Jesus and His love for us.
No, it does not always make sense and it will not always make sense but to survive in the whole we must trust our God and Savior.
May the God of all Wisdom and Power guide you safely through the floods.
Bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment