Let’s Talk About God, Natural Disasters, and What NOT to Say

When someone loses everything, here's what I do — and what I think about.

At least once a year, the spring storm systems slither eastward and dump enough water on North Louisiana to flood the swamps and streams that feed the Ouachita River. And since we live right on the banks of the mouth of Cypress Creek as it flows into the river, we’re often inundated with flood water.

Most people would say that this would be a terrible way to live, walking down the hill to their back door because the driveway to their house is several feet under water. And then there are the snakes. Cottonmouth moccasins camouflaged in the grass along the pathway. They’re nasty creatures, but I’ve learned that by careful observation, I can spot them before they detect my presence. A couple of whacks with a good size limb or a garden hoe, and I can dispense of them fairly quickly.

It ain’t for everyone, that’s for sure.

But it was exactly what I was looking for in 1976 when I bought this place soon after becoming a believer in Christ. For one thing, I wanted solitude, to put distance between my old drinking buddies and me. But I also wanted river bottom land that would be suitable for the pursuit of my passion — harvesting waterfowl and fish. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect.

Where Miss Kay and I have called home for more than four decades wouldn’t appeal to most suburbanites. But then again, living in a subdivision with a bunch of yuppies (like my boys do) doesn’t strike me as appetizing at all.  So, I say to each his own.

Nope! The annual floods around here don’t bother me at all. I know when they’re coming, so I prepare for them.  But what happened in Florida this past week when Hurricane Ian blasted on shore is not the same thing. That’s on a whole other level. An almost category 5 hurricane is as bad as it gets; it destroys everything in its path.

It’s hard to make lemonade from a lemon like this monster Ian that ripped through Southwest Florida. When everything you’ve worked hard to accumulate for your family is completely and utterly wiped off the face of the earth, it’s tough. What can I say to comfort people who’ve lost it all?

Should I say, “It was God’s will? It’s just stuff?”

Yeah, that would be helpful, right? People say things like that because it’s not their stuff that was destroyed by God’s will. If you ask me, that’s a pretty callous thing to say to someone who’s lost it all. And that’s coming from a guy who isn’t known for his sensitivity. So, if I’m telling you it’s insensitive, you should listen.

Still, there’s something to be said for the value of recognizing the temporary nature of things. It’s shocking when it finally hits us that what we thought was valuable was rapidly reduced to rubble. 

Occasionally, I am impressed with individuals who, in the midst of a tragedy like Hurricane Ian, demonstrate that they actually “get it.”  You’ve seen it too — some victim standing next to her destroyed home saying, “Praise God! It’s just stuff, and we can replace stuff.” If you said the same words about Ian’s victims from the comfort of your intact home, I wouldn’t listen to you. But when a woman who’s actually lost everything still gives thanks to God, I do listen! I take note! That’s because a person like that has credibility. She has skin in the game. It’s not just words to her.

All of this coverage of Ian’s destruction has caused me to take pause and reflect on my own attitudes about things. And where would I go when I’m looking for something that would put catastrophic loss into its proper perspective? If you know anything about me at all, you know that I would go to the Word of God, the Bible.

So let me give you just a few thoughts from God’s wisdom that can help you and me sort out the confusion that results from losing it all.

To begin with, Jesus said that my life doesn’t consist in the abundance of my possessions (Luke 12:15). That’s the first thing I notice. Things represent money and money represents hard work, so when we lose our things, we tend to think, “All that hard work down the drain.” Still, at the end of the day, my life isn’t made better or worse by the things I own. I know that, and so do you. Still, we struggle with our love of possessions.

I’m a Jesus follower, in part because he clears up confusion about stuff like this for me. And this is what he said about possessions that should be an eye-opener for everyone:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

—Matthew 6:19-21

I don’t say this callously as if to say that what people lost in Hurricane Ian is no big deal, but this is the problem with possessions — they don’t last! Whether it’s a natural disaster or just the ravages of time and the elements, they don’t last. That’s true for my stuff, and it’s true for yours.

I’m talking about the stuff I own that I haven’t looked at in years, and I’m talking about the junk in Miss Kay’s storage unit. But I’m also talking about my vehicle, my house, and my clothing that will all rot away before I can shake a stick at it. Stuff turns to junk faster than we like to think about.

Therefore, I try to live my life investing in the things that do last. Miss Kay and I do make a living, and we deposit checks into our local bank. But I’m far more concerned with making deposits into our heavenly bank account. Our goal is to invest our treasures where decay and rot can’t lay a glove on them. 

Hurricane Ian was a bad dude, that’s for sure. It sure drives home what we’ve been talking about — recognizing that possessions are a fleeting indicator of what a man’s life is worth. 

Another thing to arise from the ashes of natural disasters is that God’s church has an opportunity to step up to the plate and display the mercy of God by helping the victims. That’s why I contribute to Christ-centered disaster relief agencies like Samaritan’s Purse that are already on the ground in South Florida feeding and housing those who have lost everything. Helping people in need is putting skin on your faith (James 2:15-17).

I want to encourage you to make two decisions today. Pray that God will give you the grace to assess the value of your things and to discover what’s really important. Then decide to share out of the abundance of your life with those who have recently found out that they have nothing. Don’t say that you have nothing to share. If you can only give a few bucks, God will honor your sacrifice. You can count on that.