Simple Guidance For You In Hurricane Irma

With Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida as I write this. I debated whether or not to continue writing, but here we go.

It is with great confidence and belief that Hurricane Irma will pass by, do her dirty deeds on Florida, and we will be resilient and recover. We are a state that has seen our share of hurricanes over the years, and we get by. I know some of you are thinking well you’ve tucked away in northeast Florida, they never get hit with much. You are right I am tucked away in Jacksonville at the moment, yet like many of you in the Southeast, I am watching Irma with trepidation.

A little while ago a friend of mine posted on Facebook in one of our private groups his concern as to whether he was prepared enough for what Irma was going to bring. We are called to provide and protect our family, our loved ones, our friends and when it comes down to it complete strangers as needed. Are we ever prepared fully? I don’t think so; God even says in Mathew 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” Did you get that? We don’t know, all we can do is prepare our lives the best we can and put our trust in him.

Please do not misunderstand me; I am not saying just sit in Irma’s path and wait and see.

A dose of common sense to bug out if you need to saves lives, no need to challenge her wrath.

We have all watched as the nation came together after Harvey ravaged Texas and Louisiana. Suddenly all the hate we had for one another was washed away in his flood waters. I do not believe that our God is a vengeful God as I once did. It is quite possible though that storms like Harvey, Irma, along with earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, monsoons and more are his way of getting our attention. He can’t necessarily reach down and grab us each by the shoulders and tell us to straighten up our ways; perhaps this is our wake up call in his own way by the masses.

Neighbors were looking out for neighbors, complete strangers endangering their own lives to help one another no matter the color of their skin. I am pretty sure the Cajun navy did not ask whether you were a Democrat or Republican before they rescued you from the floodwaters of Harvey. Just like I am pretty sure the big trucks and Jon boats that are deployed in Irma’s wake are not going to care whether you are here in the country legally or not if you need saving.

Many people have evacuated or stocked up to prepare for this looking storm.

Roads are packed with people trying to escape the unpredictable storm. We will make it through the storm with patience, awareness, and compassion for one another.

I am not in any way making light of the devastation and loss of life that has already occurred and still may occur with Hurrican Irma. To quote a dear friend of mine who lives in Haiti and has seen their share of storms similar to Irma, “Thank you for prayers, God has compassion for us.”

I pray that once Irma has passed and those in her path are able to recover, we may do so together. We have become so divided as a people. It has taken back to back hurricanes of massive size and devastation to put aside our differences. It is my prayer for the American people that we may once again get back to our roots. Let us begin to rebuild our states, our nation one community at a time. Brother helping a brother in time of need as well as in a time of peace.

Stay safe, be sure to check in on those that cannot help themselves during these storms. Pay special attention to the elderly, disabled, single parents, and pets. Praying for each of you as this storm eventually makes up her mind to pass us by.