Winds of success
On Oct. 20 at 9:36 p.m., an F3 tornado destroyed a house of worship in 20 seconds. The work of various generations destroyed. As a leader of that community, the questions did not take long.
Why did God allow this?
How can we continue?
Why us?
Why now?
The answers to these questions are not easy to understand or to process. In reality, all people at one time or another will experience tornado winds that destroy everything you worked and built, whether it is health, wealth or material possessions.
In my devotional before that tornado, I read from author Billy Graham: “There is no success without suffering.” At the moment, this did not have a deep personal meaning. Nonetheless, today I know that while I do not have all the answers to these questions for myself and for those I lead, I know we are stronger, more resilient and have more grit than ever before. It is through suffering that I have come to realize the transforming power of Christ in me that is sufficient to endure an undesired journey.
God is dynamically working on our behalf even when our natural person does not see it, and he will provide all that is needed. Today, we know that when we approach our Lord Jesus Christ, there is no need to impress him with our works because by faith, his grace is sufficient to make us saved, approved, accepted and acknowledged.
Indeed, the winds of the tornado are still felt across our community. Nonetheless, we are experiencing the ever-present presence of God in our life and our community, and that is the real success.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." –Romans 8:28
Written by Ricardo Brambila, director of the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake, as part of a special Faith Focus series focusing on the faithfulness of God.
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