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The past few weeks have been eye opening for me as I went through and survived Hurricane Harvey...I am pretty sure that you're aware of this natural disaster and how it has affected Houston and other parts of Texas; it was an experience to say the least. I got wind of the impending storm a few days prior; my husband saw the forecast on the news and informed me about it. I didn't think much of it initially.
However, when my husband came home on the Thursday before the storm was scheduled to hit, I re-thought my initial response to the news. He told me that he was listening to the radio and it was advised that we filled the car with gas and have enough water and food at home, because the storm was scheduled to start the following day. So he went out to do just that; something that would normally take him a few minutes, took him a couple of hours.
After receiving a couple of calls from friends about long lines at supermarkets and most things being sold out, I decided to do some research. I saw that the hurricane was fore casted to be the worse in over ten years. It began to rain on Thursday night, but it wasn't major. The rain continued on and off throughout Friday, this time accompanied with loud thunder and bolts of lightening. Then around midnight, the rain began to come down harder and it was nonstop; it was clear that it was indeed a storm.
My husband attempted to go to work on Friday evening on two separate occasions but the rain was so heavy, he could barely see while driving. After a few hours, he was eventually able to drive when the rain stopped briefly.
Shortly after he arrived at work, the rain picked up again and it was heavier. I looked in our backyard and noticed that the empty land behind our house was beginning to fill up with water. As the hours passed, the rain continued. By Saturday evening, not only had the rainfall increased but the wind was out of control. On the news, we saw that people's homes were flooding, some people had to evacuate to shelters, roads and major highway were flooding, etc. It became real!
We had to hold church service via Skype the next day because many of the major roads were flooded. That same Sunday, the streets in our neighborhood began to flood and our neighbors began to panic. My husband and I prayed for our neighborhood, church members and friends in Houston. I stayed up for most of the night praying as I monitored the water levels in front and behind our home. Naturally speaking, it was scary. Our house was pretty much an island; the water levels were rising in the front and behind our house at an alarming rate. We informed our pastors and loved ones, prayer mode was activated! Calls and messages started rolling in as the news of the storm and images of the devastation spread across the news, Internet, etc.
The beauty of it all is that God kept speaking to us in the midst of the storm. He told my husband, "I give you safety in your neighborhood". I remember looking out the window one day and thinking to myself, "We should have gotten flood insurance"; then I heard God say, "I am your insurance." He also instructed me to praise him continually (praise is a weapon, it is a defense; it is the key to victory). So when thoughts of fear threatened to overwhelm me as the waters rose and threaten to wreck havoc on our property; as I read about people loosing their lives; as our electricity flickered on and off at various intervals; as our food supplies dwindled and the rain fell harder; I kept praying and confessing the Word, I kept reciting Psalm 91, I kept saying "there shall be no loss"..." the angel of the Lord encamps around me"... "The Lord blesses without adding sorrow, he gave us this house and we will not sorrow over it, etc.
In these moments, all that was seemly 'wrong' in my life didn't matter. My husband suddenly wasn't so "annoying"; we no longer had reasons to disagree. The amount of money in my bank account no longer mattered. Waking up in the middle of the night to feed my baby no long felt stressful. Being able to speak to family members on the phone was now something to look forward to. You see all that mattered was that I was alive and well! Everyday became a special gift, I woke up excited to see another day! I was overwhelmed with God's love.
For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4 KJV
I work as a Crisis Counselor in a disaster relief program with my organization. Everyday at work, I meet people who have lost so much. I meet people who are now rendered homeless; people who have to camp out in front of their houses because their homes were not safe to live in; people who lost their jobs because they couldn't get to work during and after the storm or their company shut down because it was affected by the flood; people who haven't had a decent meal in weeks; people who are emotional distraught and finding it difficult to move forward; how about the woman whose husband left the comfort of their home to rescue others and lost his life in the process, now she is left with their children trying to adjust to their new reality.
As I hear their stories, I sympathize with them and do all that I can within my capacity to help them. After they've poured their hearts out, some times with tears flowing from their eyes, I always aim to help them see the bright side (one being that their alive) and make them smile; ensuring them that there is hope and restoration after each storm. Meeting these people reassures me that it was our faith in God that kept us safe during the storm, I don't take it for granted. God is good! Taste and see! All that he requires of you is your faith in him!
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV
In life, there will always be storms. There will always challenges staring you in the face; there will trails; you will be hurt, you feel pain; you will disappointed. But there is good news; you don't have to accept it, you don't have to stay down, it doesn't have to redefine you, you don't have to succumb to it. Most of all, you don't have to go through it alone because God is all with you, cheering you on. His still small voice is always whispering the truth to you, reminding you that you are more than a conqueror.
From my experience during and after the hurricane, I learnt that the best way to get through any storm is to:
1. Trust God
2. Hold on to God's Word (Keep it before your eyes, in your heart, on your mind & on your lips)
3. Pray (prayer will give you strength to get through it)
4. Praise God (not for the storm, but for the victory over it)
5. Don't allow fear! (Fear will rob you of your peace- it is possible to have peace in the midst of storm)
6. Don't blame God (God is not the author of destruction, death, pain, lost, etc....the devil is (John 10:10))
7. Grow through it, don't just go through (let the experience leave you better, stronger, wiser, and more grateful to God)
8. Your perspective is important, it will determine whether you will float or sink in the midst of storms. What you focus on is key, you can choose to focus on the storm or on God. Whatever you focus on becomes bigger, it becomes more real to you.
- During the hurricane my daughter would go to the window intermittently and get excited. She would say, "Mommy, there is a pool behind our house, can we go swimming?" I had to inform her that it was not a pool so she didn't get any ideas. On one of those occasions, this scripture came to my heart:"When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Mark 10:14-15 NLT
In order to continuously walk in victory, we have to see God as our father and trust in his love absolutely. We have to be like children, having absolutely no cares because we know that Daddy has our back; he has our lives in his hands!!
In conclusion, you don't have to become a victim of storms, victory is always yours in Jesus; it is your choice to take it or leave it.
You are blessed!
- Bunmi
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