WHIRLWIND AND SOME TORNADOS...

The past 2.5 weeks have been a whirlwind of events - Josh graduating, us moving to Cullman, and Josh's first day at Huntsville hospital (today). I plan to update everyone (hopefully this week) on all of these exciting events, but first I must fill everyone on "The day of the Tornados..."

When we moved to Alabama a couple of years back, we had several people tell us that we were moving to "Tornado Alley"... it goes without saying that on Wednesday, April 27, we realized that they were right. Josh and I woke up that morning at 6:00 AM to the sound of Molly (our golden retriever) freaking out and whining/barking in our room. When we woke up, we immediately realized that there was what sounded like a tornado right outside our window. We jumped up, grabbed her and ran to the bathroom... After a few minutes, things had calmed down. We later realized that it was indeed a small tornado had touched down and destroyed parts of a nearby neighborhood (Cahaba Heights) and we think it picked back up before moving through our complex just about a mile away - very terrifying way to wake up!! The syrens had gone off 30 minutes before the tornado came through... but there were so far away from our apartment, that they were not loud enough to wake us up.



Later that morning when I got out/tried to drive through Cahaba Heights to get to work... we realized how blessed we were that our complex was spared the destruction of this tornado... as I turned back around in all of the road blocks, I was thanking and praising God.

Later that evening is when the majority of the tornados came through the state and completely destroyed parts of Tuscaloosa, Fultondale, and Cullman (our future home..) Once our power came back on and we were able to watch the news/ look at the internet - we were in shock at the amount of damage and lives lost. We again thanked God that we were spared the destruction that came literally through our backyard.

The following Sunday, our paster David Platt, spoke on Job 1. It is always humbling to be reminded of the trials/tribulations that Job went through and how he continued to praise and honor God through his circumstances. It was a humbling message to hear... how do I act when trials come my way? Do I praise and trust God when I am scared or even inconvenienced? (No power for 4 days...) Or do I worry, complain or put my trust in other things?

Job 1:18-22 (NIV)

Vs. 18 - "While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, 'Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, (VS. 19) when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they were dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! (Vs. 20) At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship (Vs. 21) and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised."

Definitely a humbling passage... Job lost his entire family and everything he owned and still praised God. One thing David pointed out that we forget when we read this passage (and any passage in the Bible for that matter...) is that we (as the reader today) know the whole story. We know that Job survives these trials and God blesses him in the end... but when Job was going through it, obviously he did not know what the outcome would be. Job had faith in God's plan, His sovereignty and His will for Job's life. I am praying that I can do the same when trials (tornados) come through my life.