Surviving the Storms

We’ve had some really bad storms in our parish.  There’s been a lot of hail, and a lot of wind, especially in the Onida and Agar areas.  The Mobridge and Eagle Butte areas were hit hard, too.  Buildings have been damaged or destroyed.  Crops have been lost.  Some livestock has been lost, too.  It’s not a good situation.

We know these things happen, of course.  Every year we hear about severe storms in some part of the Dakotas, and in surrounding states as well.  We know, inevitably, that at some point it will be our turn.  Knowing that does not make it any easier to handle, though.  It’s still a terrible thing to have happen.  I have not heard of any lives being lost because of the storms, and if that remains true then we should certainly praise God for that.  And I haven’t heard about anyone sitting around feeling sorry for themselves—that’s not the way people do things around here.  Still, the losses should not be minimized.  They are significant and substantial, and they need to be treated that way.

I said, “We know these things happen”, and that’s true, but it begs the question.  Why do these things happen?  God, being all powerful, could stop things like this.  God could’ve created a world in which there were no bad storms.  God could’ve created a world in which there was no hail and there were no strong winds.  But that’s not the world God created.  We don’t know why God did not create that world.  We assume God thinks this world is better, even if we don’t understand that.  And if we’re going to maintain our belief in God, we pretty much have to accept that God’s opinion is right, even when we don’t understand.

But you know, there’s a sense in which asking “Why do these things happen” misses the point.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to ask.  God won’t get mad at you if you do.  But have you ever noticed something?  Whenever something bad happens, especially when it happens unexpectedly, people ask “Why did God allow that to happen?”  But when something good happens, even when it happens unexpectedly, people rarely ask “Why did God allow that to happen?”  We just accept the good things that God gives us.  We don’t question them.

It’s kind of like we think it’s God’s job to give us good things.  Like it’s God’s job to make things go right for us.  When God does not do that, it’s like we think God messed up, like God’s not doing the job right.  And when God does do that, it’s like, well, so what?  God’s just doing what God’s supposed to do.  A lot of times, we don’t even say thank you.

If you or your family suffered losses due to the storms, know that our prayers are with you.  If you’re going through some other sort of storm in your life, know that our prayers are with you in that, too.  And know that God has not abandoned you, even if it might feel like that at the moment.  Don’t lose faith, and don’t lose hope.  God is still with you.  God will help you through this time.  And if there are things we can do to help you, please let us know about that.  We want to be there for you.