As Hurricane Harvey rolled through our area, we kept a watchful eye on the creek that runs through our yard. We didn’t sleep much. The rains continued for hours on end. On Saturday, we packed the things that were of value to us and moved them to the attic. The rains continued and we continued to watch as the creek worked its way out of the banks and into our yard. Our neighborhood was one of the few in the area that did not get any water into the houses. The creek stopped a few feet from the house, the rains finally stopped and the water went down. It made for a great experience for the kids and myself. As we watched the waters rising, knowing there was nothing we could do about it, this song came to mind and I decided to shoot and compile this video.
Saturday night, we all slept in the living room together. The lighting was like a strobe light outside the window. The downpour continued all night. I got up and checked the creek frequently and about 3:00 in the morning it was becoming apparent that we were going to be o.k. As we were getting ready to go to bed Saturday, I spent some time with the kids talking about possibilities. Everyone was a little nervous about what would happen, but nobody felt fear. The peace of God was working in our lives. I was reminded of a quote from a book I had recently read, In God We Trust, by Norman Vincent Peale. “When you have done everything you can do, go to sleep, knowing that God is still awake.” After preparing the house and doing everything we could do, we knew that God was in control.
As I was talking with the kids, the realization came that thousands of families were going to be affected by this storm. It was such a slow moving storm that the flooding and destruction spread from Corpus Cristi to Lake Charles, an area just over half the size of Colorado. I do not know or understand why God allows these things to happen. The nice thing is that I don’t have to understand it. I know that God is in control and he will work good through this. I don’t know why he allows things like this to happen. The fires in the north west and California, the earthquakes in Mexico and Hurricane Irma driving through Florida and up the east coast. I hear lots of theories and speculation, but the fact is that nobody knows why God allows these things to happen. I see bad things come out of these with loss of life and property and thousands of people being displaced from their homes and out of jobs. But I also see lots of good things come out of these things, too. What I know, is that I can do all that I can do, and go to sleep, knowing that God is still awake. When I wake up, I can know, that no matter what happens, it is well with my soul.
Curtis, I am always and ever thankful that God put you where you needed to be, to become my daughter’s husband and the father of four of my wonderful grandchildren. But you have once again reinforced the gratitude I feel to God, and the love I have for you. What a beautiful expression and example, of how to trust in the One Who is ever faithful… in good times and bad.