The Most Important Things

This photo has been making the rounds through social media this morning:




If you look closely, there in the middle of all the rubble is a plaque that says "the most important things in life aren't things".

That's a powerful reminder from the devastation in Oklahoma yesterday.  A lot of people lost a lot of "things".  They lost their homes and their cars.  They lost their pets and their clothes.  And many of them lost family members.

As we watch the aftermath of the tornado yesterday, we are all devastated and heartbroken, even from a distance.  As I sit here in the comfort of my home, drinking my coffee, my heart is broken for those who no longer have a home.  For those who have lost a husband or a wife, a father or a mother.  And I'm especially grieving for those who have lost children.  I can't even begin to imagine how they must be feeling this morning.

How are we to respond in a situation like this?

We can pray.  Pray for those who have lost so much.  Pray for the first responders and volunteers who even now are searching for survivors.  Just pray.  Pray that God will wrap His loving arms of peace and comfort around those who are grieving so deeply today.

We can trust God.  Even when we don't understand.  Even when we want to ask "why?"  Even then.  Because our God is a Sovereign God.  We trust and praise Him in the good times.  And we trust and praise Him in the bad times as well.

"For I know that the LORD is great, and that our LORD is above all gods.  Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.  He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings for the wind from his storehouses."  (Psalm 135:5-6 ESV)

We can give.  There are many disaster relief agencies already on the ground in Oklahoma, to help with food and water and shelter and clothing.  And the reality is, providing this help costs money.  If you are able to make a donation, here are two links to organizations I recommend:  www.namb.net (Southern Baptist disaster relief) or www.samaritanspurse.org.

We can remember.  Take the words of that plaque to heart.  The most important things in life are not things.

That's the lesson from the tornado.  Take time to evaluate what's most important to you.  Take time for the people in your life.  Turn off the TV and play a game with your child.  Put down your I-phone for a little while.  Stop texting and Facebooking, and have a conversation with those you love.  Take time to say I love you.  To write a note.  To give an extra hug.  To make a phone call.

Take time.  Because the most important things in life aren't things.