After Hurricane Katrina I went with a group to Gulfport, MS, to help clean up. We were working on the home of a lady whose house had been flooded. She lived in her home for 30 years. She said to me, “Preacher, I felt so alone that night, so vulnerable. I had to climb into my attic to get out of the reach of the water. It was so dark. The next morning the sun came out but it was still dark, but I also felt strengthened unlike anytime before in my life. Someone else was with me. I couldn’t see. I could only feel the presence and through all of this, I have learned a valuable lesson. There is more to life than lumber and bricks. There is more to life than shingles and drapes.” She was right. The physical passes but the spiritual endures. There may be someone reading this who has seen your home, your dreams, your job, your marriage, your life get washed destroyed. God doesn’t shield us from the hard things of life, from despair. But God isn’t going to allow despair to have the last word. Beyond the tragic and trying moments of life is an eternal spirit that life holds together. Trust God in the midst of the tough stuff and know that the physical will pass and the spiritual will remain. There is a lot more to life than lumber and bricks. There is a lot more to life than shingles and drapes.
– Dr. Tim Thompson