He’s a high school senior, in the hospital after receiving broken bones, punctured organs, and other wounds, after being lifted from his house by a monster EF-5 tornado that carved its way across Joplin, Missouri, on May 22.
She’s a college student who searched for her family among the indescribable ruins of their house, days later discovering her parents had perished.
He’s in his thirties, coping with memories of becoming an impromptu first responder, stepping over death to find live people to send to triage.
The sinister storm growled as it choreographed a slow, homicidal dance with the innocent residents of the unsuspecting town, juggled torn and twisted debris three miles into the air before dropping it against anything or anyone who happened to step into its path.
The church immediately activated, taking care of people who lost family members and houses, receiving truckloads of supplies to distribute as souls emerged from the rubble. People, relief supplies, calls, emails, and volunteer workers poured in from all over the United States. Local members unexpectedly became food distributors, warehouse managers, task coordinators, cafeteria workers, and counselors.
Answering needs is one thing; answering hard questions is another:
Why me?
Where was God?
Why didn’t the tornado hit the casino instead?
There are many accounts of the real-life, gut-wrenching tragedy of the Joplin tornado. Parts of the city are deeply scarred with traumatic memories. Where thousands of houses and businesses once stood, the view has been extended for many miles.
A new Christian shuffled from his apartment building. Trembling from the shock, deafening sound, and pressure of the twister, all he could repeat was, “I got nothin’. I got nothin’.” Truly, an event that takes over 150 lives tests the faith of anyone affected.
Such tests resulted from a catastrophic storm set into motion by distinct atmospheric conditions – not by God. The storm had no sentience or bitter antipathy for Joplin. It did not consciously target the center of town. It was not angry.
Suffering comes from countless sources – nature being one of them – but suffering does not come from God. Does He allow it? Yes. Does He use it to emphasize a point? Absolutely. The God Who left His only begotten Son hanging on a cross and did not rescue Him from physical and emotional torture is the same God we cry out to from the raging, swirling winds of a deadly storm!
It’s easy to focus on self in such times – to wallow in pity – but something amazing soon materialized. On the sign in front of the completely destroyed high school, only the letters O and P remained from the word JOPLIN. Shortly after, someone attached an H and an E, identifying the site as HOPE High School.
Kaio Magazine was, until recently, a teen magazine, published by Focus Press. After the Joplin tornado in 2011, I was asked to write a short article for a publication about enduring suffering. Most of the article is below, and I used some key components of it in the text of Out of the Wind. Comments are closed.
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AuthorD. Ed. Hoggatt is an award-winning fourth grade teacher. Click Titles to Order Now
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