In Biblical Proportions, Part II

By John Kubicek

It all came down on me while driving home from work this morning. It hit me on the side of the head. It slapped me in the face. It made tears stream down my face.

Of course, I'm talking about what happened here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, just a week ago. Lives had been ripped apart. Hopes and dreams were vaporized in just a matter of days, if not hours.

But, what was really ripping me apart was much more than getting a first hand glimpse of the aftermath of the carnage suffered in Cedar Rapids just a week ago. You see, not only did I have a quick glimpse of the piles of debris lined up along the streets, but I also saw, while going on with life in the last few days, that people are pulling together.

Keep in mind, it wasn't until yesterday (June 19) that President Bush finally got to visit our area of the country. And before I continue, let me allow you to see it for yourselves:

I can assure you, right off the bat, that the President's visit had nothing to do with the hope and unity that I've seen over the last week! In fact, while of course people will need all the assistance that they can get, it was much more than that. In the video you saw above, it was about the government helping us out, and about the losses that we've suffered. But what I want to say today differs greatly. It is about us helping each other out, and about what we will gain from this experience!

One of the Presidential candidates this year has been spouting change, unity, and hope. All good things, except, when we really look closer, we already have it. Yes, there has been drastic changes in people's lives around this area. For many, things will never be the same. But, while that was happening, I found out something else. There has been a lot of unity in this community. People have been helping each other out, in what ever way we can. For some it was filling sandbags, and for others, providing moral encouragement, shelter, food, what ever it takes.

So, if there was ever hope.... This is IT! Yes, I had tears in my eyes on the way home from work today. It was for both the people that suffered, and for the realization of all the good that I saw people do for each other! Not one iota of any of it had anything to do with a "Presidential Visit" to this area. Not that I minded the President coming, it was probably a good thing, to maybe give a few more people a little more assurance that things will work out.

But, the true positive perspective I had on the journey home today was overwhelming. While we will find much sorrow in our lives, it really is also up to us to find ways to make the bad things in life become the catalysts to better things in our lives.

For many of us, it may have been just finding the Faith that we may not have had for awhile.

For many of us, it may have been seeing that there are people out there that really care about us, and that isn't meaning the government officials, but neighbors, parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, or our church families.

For many of us, it may have been just knowing that God was helping us to get through this nightmare. It may have been the realization of how important the Lord Jesus Christ is in our lives!

While we have each other, and God, we really won't ever lose! That's the change, unity and hope that I'm talking about! In Biblical Proportions!

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In Biblical Proportions