With an eternity to spend in heaven, one of the questions I hope to ask is why God doesn’t like mobile homes. For my international readers, let me explain. Every spring and summer, the heartland of the United States witnesses phenomenal storms that produce tornadoes. To those living in that heartland, myself included, iseems like every tornado takes aim at mobile homes.
I’m sure the answer will be that it only seems like God doesn’t like mobile homes… that mobile homes are more easily destroyed.
For a couple years while growing up, my brother, David, and I lived with our mother in a mobile home. One summer day, we were home alone when a tornado set its sights on our mobile home park. I was frightened, for we could see the funnel cloud coming straight forward us.
The smart thing to do, would have been to take shelter. Instead, David and I stood out in the front yard watching it dance toward us. It was not alone. A smaller funnel formed on either side of the tornado. To me, they looked like cloud fingers, taunting us; three fingers, set to flick us into oblivion. Only the center funnel cloud fully formed, and it grew larger as it moves towards us.
The winds grew wild. Hailstones the size of marbles fell around us. I was convinced that we would be sucked up into the clouds. I whined to go inside, but my brother told me we would be fine to stay on our patio and watch it. When I saw that he wasn’t scared, then I was no longer afraid. Let the winds blow. I wasn’t frightened so long as my big brother wasn’t.
At the last minute, David and I ducked inside. Good thing, too, because the tornado ripped the roof right off our patio. We watched it from inside the mobile home. As impressed as I was with that storm, what I remember most all these years later was how reassuring it was to watch my brother stay calm. It was almost as if he was in charge, not only of me, but the storm, too.
Christ, the only begotten Son of God, really does stand beside us through life’s storms, reassuring us, the adopted sons and daughters of God. “It’s okay,” He says…
My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
– John 14:27b
Fear Not, and let not your heart be troubled.
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