I Don't Usually Do This...

I don't usually write posts like this - I usually write about stupid things my students write, but today I've got something else rolling around on my head based on two distinct experiences this weekend.

This past weekend I went to Parkersburg, IA with my friend Sara to go to an I-Cubs game and visit her family. Due to some bad weather in Des Moines (2 hours away), we delayed going to the game from Saturday to Sunday, and then Sara's parents decided to go with us. On the way home from a fun game, Sara's parents received a phone call that a tornado had hit their town. If this doesn't show me God's providence, I don't know what does. Sara's entire family was out of town - and the 4 of us just changed our plans less than 24 hours ago. So many other people were cared for in inexplicable ways. Of a town of 2000-3000 people, only 5 were killed (I know I say "only" - each of those was a valuable life, but the destruction could have been much worse), and 70 were injured. Only 20 people needed to stay in the Red Cross shelter - everyone else in the town was cared for by local family and friends. God's hand was clearly in the chaos that ensued after this natural disaster. How can I deny it when I was spared from danger because of it?

When making a few phone calls to let family and friends know I was okay in case they saw it on the news, I learned that the husband of a good friend of mine from church was killed in a biking accident yesterday morning. Although I did not know him all that well, this man was a wonderful person who worked hard, just became a grandfather a few months ago, and had a subtle sense of humor that made me laugh every time. He always took every safety precaution - helmet, riding on the right side of the road, everything - and yet, he was still the victim of a car-bike accident. This man rode hundreds of miles a year. These things don't happen! They can't happen! How do I even begin to reconcile this? On a day when I am so convinced of God's providence, this makes absolutely no sense. But perhaps that's precisely why God was trying to teach me this.

I don't really know why I'm writing about this. I don't know what I'm trying to say. But this I know: God is sovereign. I'm glad I'm not in charge. But it doesn't make Gerry's death or the destruction of the tornado any easier.