What if we knew what we think we know? What if we had the cognitive ability or physical strength to accomplish things that we really think we can as a human race without the help of God? Today I was a part of something that I’ll never forget. I was sitting on the front porch of my in-laws house when I felt a shake that sounded like a low-flying helicopter turn into the most violent shake I have ever heard or experienced. We ran off of the porch because of it’s swaying in fear that the house might collapse. Living around the D.C. area most of my life I knew what it was but was having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I was in an earthquake. That twenty seconds that seemed more like five hours was real. We are only 15 minutes from Culpeper, VA where the most damage was done. All of the schools around here are cancelled and the atmosphere is almost like an unfortunate snow day.
However, because no one was killed, no significant damage was done and no state fell into the Atlantic ocean many are mocking it. I have seen numerous pictures, tweets, facebook posts and “clever sayings” poking fun at the earthquake. When people die by the masses we send emails, letters, money and help. When people live we laugh at the natural disaster as if people have over-reacted and it was “nothing.”
Unfortunately that’s the ignorance we are surrounded by. Ignorance as in people mocking and laughing in the face of a potentially catastrophic event. Instead of thanking God for protection, His guidance, His favor, His love, etc., etc., etc. we post pictures of lawn chairs that tipped over as a result of the earthquake. The world is scared, people are terrified and the majority of my family and close friends were a part of what took place on the east coast today. Did anyone die? No. Was a city destroyed? No.
The Bible is clear these are warning signs. That isn’t sensationalism, that’s fact. As Christians we need to stop yelling at people to live for God and live so that our life looks like Him. People mocked Noah until He got into the ark and the waters started rising. It took Noah 100 years to build that ark, people had 100 years to get it right but they still died because they chose stupidity over common sense. Thank God no one died today, that no we’re not removing rubble to find people and that Washington, D.C. didn’t fall into a crater. Praise God that thousands aren’t holding vigils and mourning the losses of the masses. Thank God that tonight everyone is safe and free from danger…as of now.
Don’t be stupid, don’t mock Him, don’t mock an earthquake that didn’t take any lives and don’t think for a minute that God’s a punk. He protected us, for that we should be extravagantly thankful. I always read about how ignorant and ungrateful the Israelites were when God continued to provide, how the people of Noah’s time were so arrogant and self-saturated and how evil the Pharisees were that sent Jesus to the cross. I just never thought I would share a world with people like that. I never thought in my life the world would get to this. Don’t allow it to anger you, ask God for a burden because these are His people that He wants, that He loves and that He sent Jesus Christ to the cross for. I’m thankful I am living in this world because I see what God can do with garbage, He did it with me.
