"I wish I had some."
My thoughts are with the people in Joplin just now, and by extension, the people in the Southeast that faced their tornadoes last month. And when it comes down to it, there is no difference between the tornadoes, a tsunami, a flood or an earthquake. The world has seen each of these events unfold an a major scale of late.
So I looked through my arsenal of wisdom, looking for something to say to people impacted by these events. I want to say something profound, encouraging, hopeful or consoling. But I also want to say something meaningful and intelligent. Something that makes things better.
So I could talk about the fragility of life, and because it is so fragile it is precious. I could talk about how important it is to number our days, as each day can be our last. We need to be careful with our time here, and our resources, knowing that everything we have is only on loan for just a little while longer.
I could talk about not getting so attached to stuff that a tornado can destroy in seconds. Rather we need to place value in each other - in loving each other, helping each other and making each other strong. All of the stuff we work so hard for doesn't mean a damn thing. But the universe will remember how we loved forever. The value of life is in relationships and service. Not in all of the things we accumulate.
I could talk about our tendency to take storms of life personally. This is not God's judgement, nor does it demonstrate His incompetence. It's just a storm, and they happen all over the world to everybody. Part of the value of knowing God is that knowing that He is bigger than the storm. No storm, or anything else in all of creation can separate us from His love and presence. Through that knowledge, we handle the storms and recover. A tragedy is turned into a monument of His grace, mercy and help.
I could talk about peace. Possessions do not give us peace, and the loss of these things cannot take it away. When the storm comes and does what it does, we need to stand in confidence and do what we do. Today is a new day, and though life may be different that it was yesterday, it is good because we have confidence in a Good God.
But somehow, none of this says what I really feel. Pastors and friends have looked through the storehouses of wisdom for centuries, trying to say the right thing to people who have suffered loss. I think overall, they didn't find anything better than I did.
I wish I had something better to offer.