When the Hurricane Hits

              We are in the midst of an epic storm here in the Northeast.  Monster hurricane 'Sandy' slammed into both the east coast and a Nor'easter storm. On top of those two facts add the full moon which causes exceptionally high tides.  When you put all of those things together you have the makings of massive flooding, trees blowing over, dangerous traffic conditions, power outages and very disrupted lives.  The 'unpredictable' factor adds a high level of anxiety to the mix.  Should we evacuate, board up the house, buy lots of staples to survive for a week or so, buy that generator we were thinking about and many more decisions?  The size and complexity of the decisions and their potential impact makes them exceptionally excruciating.

               On top of all those factors there is the ever looming fear of the 'Monday Morning Quarterbacks' who will second guess every decision that was made.  There is extra focus on the things that were not done or done poorly.  There are those who jump in and take advantage of the situation by price gouging and providing poor service in the process.  Those who are least able to handle these tragedies are the most impacted.  Nobody is exempt from the pain and deprivation of these types of events.  We are all inconvenienced by the disruption and nobody is happy. Tempers are short and giving grace is a rarity.

               Whether it is a natural disaster like 'Sandy', a family crisis of a serious auto accident or cancer diagnosis, or a business situation where some event, competing product or financial crisis has attacked the very core of the company's existence it comes down to where our heart is.  Whatever is in the core of our heart comes out during these times.  If we are prideful, afraid, controlling, arrogant, and vengeful, our reactions will reflect that.  On the other hand if we are filled with God's spirit, dependent upon Him for direction, able to hear His still small voice we will be able to respond in a way that is redemptive even in the midst of the chaos.  This isn't something that you can just turn on when you need it.  It is built over time by responding well to these adversity situations.  Looking to these disasters, big and small, as classrooms for grace, will go a long way to our spiritual growth.  I am reflecting on how I handle this storm in that light.