Oh Lord Hear My Voice featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Where Would I Be Without You? recorded and produced by Ross Gill

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma one question that will obviously arise is why? and another is how should people respond?

I read this message today from a Hurricane Harvey survivor and I felt it to be worth sharing:

Hurricane Harvey made me realise more that we really are nothing on this Earth and that the material things that we lose sleep over, we fight over, we lose friendship over is NOT worth it. The position, the status that we want everyone to know that we possess CANNOT save us. In minutes Barbuda lost 95% of its infrastructure, people lost their houses, their businesses, their crops. Thank God we have life. Let us be thankful that we have life and a chance to make things right with God, with family and with friends. Let us love more, smile more, help more and make peace with each other instead of fighting over things that are here now and could be gone in a matter of minutes. Our life is simply a breath, when that breath goes life is over. Whatever we have accomplished in life was permitted by God who can take it all back in minutes. Let us acknowledge Him. The only thing that lasts forever is salvation. Nothing else matters in the end.

Well you may not agree with all the sentiments expressed here but I for one would admit to placing too much importance on material possessions. Living in this country I am unlikely to lose them all in a natural disaster but I could lose them in other ways and then how would I cope?  I think the problem is that it is easy to believe that we are the owners of our possessions gained through our own hard work.  If this is our belief then to lose all that we have worked so hard for is bound to be devastating. However an alternative belief is that we are in fact, stewards rather than owners of possessions because they have been given to us by God.  Yes our own hard work is a factor but that work is enabled by the skills with which God has blessed us.  If this different belief is held then I would suggest ties to our possessions are looser and if they are lost the pain less severe.

Alpha starts next week! At my church Holy Rood in Stubbington that is 7.30 pm on Wednesday September 20th- more of that next week.