Why?

 

 It's been several days since the storm that stretched almost the entire length of the Eastern United States made landfall. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably seen hours of video of the destruction that it left in it's wake and heard countless reports of the devastation from the wind and floods and snow. There's no two ways about it, the storm impacted millions of people and will continue to do so for a long time to come. This is only the latest in a series of bizarre weather events that  have come upon this country. From the hurricanes to tornadoes, to floods to drought, the past few years have been horrific in terms of weather. Perhaps Al Gore is right-it's all the fault of global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels. He's made millions of dollars in speaking engagements and books sales spouting that philosophy. He's certainly not going to change his tune when there is a profit to be made from these disasters. I'd be interested in knowing just  how much toxic pollution is spewed into the air from just one volcanic eruption, say, a Mount St. Helen's event. There isn't much we can do to control that. Nor can we do anything about the shifting crusts of the earth's surface. The tsunami that hit Japan last year wasn't the result of global warming, any more than the 7.7 quake that struck just south of the Alaskan Panhandle a few days ago. We aren't just facing natural disasters with increasing frequency, there are a number of man made tragedies occurring as well. From the massacre in Norway a few years ago to the Colorado tragedy to the Sikh temple killings. ABC news did a special last week on gangs in Chicago. This year alone there have been over 400 murders in the city of Chicago, most of them gang related. That isn't a matter of global warming, that's a matter of a spiritual cool down. We don't want God in our schools, in our public buildings, and if it was up to some folks even on our money. If the Almighty isn't in charge in our lives anymore, who is? By what standard do we base what is right or wrong? Ourselves? Who gets to decide the laws that govern the land and what do they base their beliefs upon?  Where do our priorities lie?  I wonder about these things. These disasters that have come upon us- are they man made or is God trying to give us a wake up call? As my pastor likes to say, the clue phone is ringing, are we going to answer it? With all that said, disasters bring out both the worst and the best in us. During hurricane Katrina, amongst all the death and destruction and despair, people were taking the opportunity to loot businesses. At the same time, heroes were stepping up to the plate. We're seeing a lot of heroes in this disaster. Every day people who are opening their homes and pocket books and having compassion on strangers in need. Lord knows any of us could find ourselves in a similar situation as those unfortunate souls. The peaceful streams pictured above could turn into raging torrents over night. With that in mind, I hope that all who read this post will examine their hearts and give. I'm sure that the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Samaritan's Purse are all on the scenes giving much needed aid and comfort where they can. I know there are others as well. Meanwhile, I hope we'll all take a moment and ponder, why  these things are happening, and if we need to make a change in our lives, I hope we do so.