Life and Death in Joplin

Seen in an article on Time.com, about the tornado in Joplin … “There was a lot of talk the day before the storm about whether the world would end. An old preacher in California had declared that time was running out and bought ads in major newspapers and on billboards to spread the news. The Joplin storm was a summons back to reality, a reminder that a world can end at any moment even as new worlds begin. Five patients died when the storm hit St. John's hospital; the same day, four babies were born at Freeman hospital across the street.”

Those are the essential truths of life and death, indeed. A world can end at any moment, a death can end a life. And a new life can begin at any moment, and does every single day around the world.

We have over 300 members on our company in Joplin and surrounding areas, and I have gotten constant updates on Facebook about the status of our friends. Many have lost their homes, some have lost loved ones. Some are still searching for family members and friends. Surely it is a cauldron of emotion every day for each of our friends … and that feeling will not dissipate very easily. We have been praying for them for days and will continue. The Joplin disaster is almost unbelievable, the destruction is hard to look at and the more I read, the more horrific I see it was to live through. Still is.

And too … it is a parallel for our own life and death. We live mostly secure of our future but Joplin reminds us that we may not truly know that future … God’s plan for us may take sad and unexpected twists and turns. We will be humbled at times, but the courage I have heard about and read about is amazing as well, showing that even the depth of despair does not always overwhelm inborn strength and faith. Death came to many, that also unexpected and sad, because God’s plan can be harsh … but on the same day, there was new life to celebrate, and joy in the hearts of the living.

Joplin teaches me about life and death … I see that more clearly now, in every story of anguish and every story of hope. In all of those stories, still there is God reaching out to His people, the living and the dead … and helping new worlds begin for us all. My heart is in Joplin and will be for some time.