My Martha Bailey, First Baptist Covington
Although I had planned another post for today, my heart won’t let me write about anything except the punch in the gut that our neighbors to the west all the way to Lafayette received last weekend.
Caught completely off guard, residents in that area received anywhere from 15-28 inches of rain in a 48-hour period. With such an extreme amount of water falling in such a short window of time, the rivers and tributaries could not accommodate the runoff. The flooding resulted in the deaths of eleven people, 20,000 people having to be rescued from homes and vehicles, and 11,000 victims seeking refuge in shelters.
Unfortunately, many of those people hadn’t even gotten over the flood that hit this area only five months ago. Some of them had just completed the restoration of their homes after the March flood. Others were still in the process. How discouraging that must be.
Twenty Southeast Louisiana parishes have been declared as disaster areas. It is being referred to as a “historic flood event”. Meteorologists are comparing it to the devastation caused by a hurricane that hit this area in 1940, over 75 years ago.
But even though what has happened in our state has been categorized as a disaster, it has been amazing to see the good it has brought out in people. The same thing happened after Hurricane Katrina pummeled our area nearly eleven years ago.
Before our official first responders could be dispatched (and oh, how thankful we are for their tireless efforts), the people took it upon themselves to spring into action using whatever resources they had to begin the rescue effort. J. R. Ball on NOLA.com referred to them as “the Cajun navy.”
I remember equipment being commandeered after Katrina. The mantra was “what is yours is ours” –your pirogue is our pirogue in this instance. If it was needed to assist those in crisis, no one objected because we all were needy.
How do we comfort those in need? First, we pray for them. Then we choose our words very thoughtfully. Quite often the best question to ask is, “How can I help you.” Initially people may be so overwhelmed that they don’t even know what to say. However, later they have very specific needs, some of which are easily met, some very complicated.
Once we know the needs, it’s time to spring into action–a sight we are seeing all around us. While we know that our salvation is not dependent on good deeds, we also know that they should be a natural response to our salvation.
You never have to say that you were wrong. James, the half-brother of Jesus said, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself…But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (2:14-18).
Let’s be people of faith demonstrating it by love in action.
Dear Lord, the reality is that we need You every second of our lives, but crises like this flood make us keenly aware of how desperate we are. Our hearts are broken for those who have suffered such great loss. We pray that they will rely on You for strength, comfort, and direction. Thank You for reminding those of us who were not affected to take this opportunity to demonstrate our faith by reaching out to those in need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
