Loving God Leads to Loving People

I remember well seeing pictures of the flood in the St. Louis area back in the 90s. Albany, GA had their share of flooding a few years earlier, and then another flood in the 90s that didn't do quite the damage to the southwest region of GA. I remember seeing the devastation caused by hurricanes ~ Andrew, Francis and Jeane, and Katrina.

There have been tornadoes across the plains, hurricanes along the coasts, mining accidents in the mountains, explosions and oil spills in the oceans / gulfs. There are earthquakes (typically) out west, and yes, also in Haiti. Volcanoes make up much of Hawaii, and apparently northern Europe, too. We cannot outrun weather, natural disasters, and unfortunate occurances of human error or other accidents.

As I watched film and looked at still photos of the flood in Nashville and the tornadoes in Oklahoma, my heart went out to my friends there. I suppose there is a distinct difference when friends are involved as opposed to seeing something on the news and being desensitized by it all. Yes, they suffered in the earthquake in Haiti. Yes, it was a terrible tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. It was heart-wrenching watching the rescue efforts in the West Virginia coal mine.

But as I thought of the Hunters, Jones, Deels, Greenwoods, Carmacks, Markins ~ the list goes on and on ~ my heart hurt. Yes, there were many other names I could put on that list, but it would take more space than you would want to read. These are real names of real people with real homes. Some homes were damaged, some essentially destroyed. Some were spared, and for that we are grateful.

The one thing that has, and is, characterizing the people of Nashville, is their pro-active manner in cleaning up and reconstruction. The general population of Nashville did not sit on their hands waiting on the governor or President to authorize financial aid. They began the work on Monday morning. Churches and families came together and helped. Strangers who were spared damage got out and helped those who were hurting. People from across this great land of ours came to the aid of people in Nashville.

Its good the government can help. I'm sure the people there are thankful for it. But the strength of these people are not in how fast the government financial aid can arrive. The strength of these people is in the character of helping one another. One church in Nashville has as its slogan this year (even before the storm), Loving God, Loving People. That's what Christianity is all about. That's what a relationship with Jesus will produce.

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a song by a similar title ~ Loving God, Loving Each Other. We're praying for you, Nashville and Oklahoma City. Thank you for teaching America that loving God leads to loving people.