A picture from the AP in the Huffington Post.
Last week (see October 26th) I journaled about starting my exercise routine. Well, I did start tonight, but it wasn’t in the great outdoors.
See, for the past two months we have incorporated “No TV Tuesday” in our home. It’s been going great! We have great discussions at dinner time while Tim reads various quotes to us from a little book he gets monthly in the mail called “Bits and Pieces”. Each person has to give their input as to what they believe a specific quote means. We read more books and play outside a bit more on Tuesday than we used to.
Tonight I decided to hop on our new treadmill to begin my exercise routine because it was a little dark outside. It just happened to be on a Tuesday, but Tim said that if I’m working out that I can watch television. (Thanks, Daddy. J ) Yeah! Because I was ready to see the latest Fox News report on the affects that Hurricane Sandy had on the east coast. Devastating! For the thirty minutes I was walking, I could feel my heart sink and a moan of concern could be heard coming from me every time a new photo was displayed.
To see the homes that were destroyed by the fire was heart-breaking. Praise God that no one was killed or injured in that horrible tragedy. It was encouraging to hear people interviewed talk about the positivity and perseverance that the citizens of that town have. How this won’t get them down and the town will be rebuilt. I pray for a God-strength in them for the coming months.
The flooding of the tunnels, subways, and towns are overwhelming. The loss of electricity, water, basic needs, and jobs (hopefully temporarily) to so many individuals is hard to fathom. Fires, floods, high winds, and crashing waves can damper one’s spirit for sure.
The aforementioned can be repaired or replaced. But one thing that cannot be replaced is the loss of lives throughout this calamity. My heart aches and prayers go out to the families that have lost loved ones.
During times like these it is often hard to grasp the “Why” this all happened and question “Will I make it through it all?”
While the first question is not one that will be answered for our human minds to understand, the answer to the second question is “Yes!” Yes, you will make it through it all. How? By turning to God. In Psalms 46:1-3 I found these verses fitting for this time. It says:
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!”
Yes, God is our protection and source of strength. He is a safe place to hide and ready to help when we need Him. I can hear the cries of those directly affected saying, “We need You, God!”
Brothers and Sisters, stand fearless and be courageous in times of trouble.
May we all pray for the citizens of the northeast states to find strength, security, comfort, and perseverance in God. Ask God how you can be of service to those in need during this time.
Praying for blessings and God’s glory to shine through it all in the end,
Stephanie