The aftermath...

Caffeine is a wonderful creation. Six shots of espresso later, I am done with finals, have said good bye to two of my closest friends, and have seen the harsh reality of the aftermath of the flooding this weekend. Rather than crash, I am blogging and appreciating how ironically beautiful the weather is today. After putting down my pencil and finishing my last final today, I went for another delicious, double-shot Mocha at Fido and headed out with Andy Blasius of YoungLife to help clear out a house in Belle View. What a shock it was to see how hard some places have been hit; we saw collapsed roads and sidewalks, previously submerged cars, and the worst part, absolutely emptied houses. A lot of houses were completely flooded and have been totally stripped from six feet up and down to the floor. Most families seem to be in shock still and just haven't had the time to stop and realize how much has just been shattered for them. It definitely gives you eyes to go out and see what's happened. It's also hard to try to find what good is coming out of this...

We have a God in control of the universe, who commands floods, so what is the good in all of this? How do you find something redeemable in the situation of a retired couple with no flood insurance having to deal with a completely destroyed home? Andy and I were talking about it in the car ride back to campus and I guess there have been some pretty remarkable things that have happened. People have really come together to reach out to the rest of Nashville this weekend and that's really cool to see happen. Out of all this loss there are some lights beginning to shine and perhaps people are starting to cling to a God that they might have forgotten? Who knows...I really can't identify with the families who have suffered this weekend and I won't pretend to. In my own life's uncertainties, though, I've realized through getting a chance to see first-hand the effects of this storm, that it's important to always seek out God in everything. We may not always feel Him, or see Him, but discernment is crucial... I wonder what I'm supposed to discern out of my summer this break.

Brian