Storms and quakes happen -economically, medically, emotionally, and relationally. In fact, many of us have already felt some tremors. These are tough times and I believe we’ve only just begun to see the shaking in our lives. Whether or not you’re facing a storm today, it pays to be prepared.
Still reeling from the horrible earthquake that devastated Haiti, the world was awakened to yet another quake in Chile. This one registered 8.8 on the Rictor Scale, one of the most powerful earthquakes in more than a century. According to official records, 230,000 people lost their lives in the Haitian quake as opposed to only 708 in Chile.
Well, like most of you, I’ve been watching the news reports on these earthquakes, and wondered why Haiti suffered so much more devastation than Chili. In terms of energy released at the epicenter, the Chilean quake was 501 times stronger, and yet the damage and death tolls were significantly lower.
After doing a bit of googling, I discovered that the experts all agree that Chile’s quake wasn’t in a big city like Port-au-Prince, and it was closer to the surface, but there was also a huge difference in these two nation’s infrastructures. Chile has a strong infrastructure, and they were well prepared for this kind of disaster.
Of course, this reminds me of the parable in Luke, Chapter 6, where Jesus told his disciples about the two builders. One built right on the ground, without digging a foundation. When the storm hit the house without this prep-work, it collapsed. By contrast, the other guy labored on his house by digging down deep to secure it on solid rock. Jesus said the man who hears God’s instruction and obeys is like this wise man who digs deep, building his house on the rock – after the storm passed, his house remained standing.
The storm in Jesus’ parable hit both houses, but only the one with the solid foundation could withstand the shaking. What does this have to do with us? Well as I said before, storms and earthquakes happen. None of us are exempt from the difficulties of life. My advice is to act wisely, get a little spiritual dirt under your fingernails by digging down deep to the Rock. Make God your Rock. Anchor yourself to Him by receiving forgiveness for your sins through Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Build up your infrastructure in your relationship with God by searching out God’s wisdom for living in the Bible, and then applying that wisdom to daily life. If you have questions on how to build up your infrastructure, email me and I'll be happy to grab a shovel and help you. terri@terriclarkministries.org
I’m right there with you weathering my own storms and shoring up my foundation.
With dirt under my nails,
Terri
GREAT NEWS!!!!
SHIPPING CONTAINER UPDATE: Many of you are responding to our $10 challenge! More than $1000 has come in since my last update. We are now at $8,084, only $1,916 to go! Thank you for standing with us! Just to repeat our challenge: If 191 people would each send in $10, we will have enough to get that container on the water and on its way to Uganda! Watch our 3 min video for more information on what this is all about. http://www.terriclarkministries.org/tcm_uganda_video_2009
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