Floods, Addendum

Just a quick note about my last post from a couple days ago. 

I'd mentioned the catastrophic floods in central Texas with no intention of sharing that just to make a metaphor for some great spiritual truth. I'd even mentioned that in the blog post, even though I did talk about things related to simply not being prepared when it could very well be the case we could be.

That severe weather event there could have been something that was indeed just a freak meteorological incident and all the warnings in the world could not have prevented the tragedy. There is so much to understand regarding that.

I'd also heard, however, that there were protocols that could have been activated but were not, and because of that many lives could have been saved simply by having a more rigorous effort to evacuate when they could. There is so much to that as well, and why I'm posting again to say none of us know everything to know about what could or could not have happened. It is a very good thing to work through it all though, work hard and getting better prepared.

One thing I did think about was when I look at the weather report when it rains in my area, many times I see little symbols and emergency-oriented words about "flash flooding." And nothing seems to happen. I was just wondering, just wondering is all -- not making any categorical moral judgment here or anything -- just wondering if this is kind of a boy who cried wolf situation.

Could it have been the case that warnings were issued, but people simply shrugged them off because in being super-duper extra cautious authorities are issuing warnings simply far too often for them to mean anything? They issue this warning and that warning and then nothing really happens, so... how many of those riverbank campers did hear warnings but just shrugged them all off? 

I'm sorry, but this kind of thing happened at the school I taught for 30 years. Far too frequently the fire alarm would go off and we all knew it meant nothing. Who even knew why? Sometimes they'd announce over the loudspeaker that it was a false alarm.

Still. Really, I even talked about it with my students, and they knew: If there was a real fire in some real REAL emergency, we'd all be burnt to a crisp in here.

So maybe being more smart and more prepared would require authoritative personnel having the capacity to provide levels of emergencies and stronger insistence proper things happen when necessary.

Again I'm not using this tragedy for any kind of pretext for something else political or anything like that. But I can't help but share a Truth Rule that does relate, and I will always hope my readers take these things to heart. Both parts of the Truth Rule are Biblical, and sorry, both relate to life-and-death and, yes, preparation.

I'm amazed by what Jesus said to those who did what millions always ask when these kinds of things happen, "How could this happen? Why did God allow it to happen?"

Well, the Bible addresses this exact thing, right there at the beginning of Luke's 13th chapter (besides, really, please, in all of Scripture). There in that Luke chapter, an instance which is only in Luke, people are noted to have died in horrible ways, and other people who presumably grieved asked Jesus, "What was that all about?" Scripture tells us that they were asking Jesus if they died in a more theologically inquisitive way: Did they die because they were worse people than anyone else? 

Jesus could have given a perfectly erudite answer that would satisfy everyone about what the deal is with tragedies when loved ones die and what God is really thinking and doing when those things happen, especially when children die as many did in the Texas flooding. But He said one simple thing. Essentially --

"You'll die too you know. So how are you prepared for that? Ultimately no one is any worse a sinner than anyone else, everyone is subject to judgment on the last day. So have you repented -- are you prepared for where you will be for eternity?"

In my devotional the other day I came across a passage just as sobering. There at the beginning of the Matthew's 25th chapter, more from Jesus about this exact same thing. You know it, the parable of the ten virgins. They must be ready to meet the bridegroom but they do not know when he will arrive. He may arrive at night when they must have their lamps fueled to stay alit. Five are prepared, but five are lazy, or foolish, or irresponsible, or whatever they are to be unprepared.

Yes, this is the World. This is the way the World wants people to be so it can pound them with rules and laws and regulations and prosecutions that are perfect for the very legitimate Ministry of Condemnation. 

It is simple. Jesus Christ rules in the Ministry of Reconciliation where people work hard to do things for others because they love them. And Jesus made Himself the full authority over this Kingdom by dying for our sins because He loved us and rising from the dead because He wanted to enjoy eternity with His created children.

Yes, let's work hard at making a preparation system that works better for next time, and commit to doing so not because the World tells us too but because we love others enough to do it.

And yeah, sorry, but at the same time share with others in whatever ways we can with the greatest deepest graciousness how to prepare for eternity. That's just as important.

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