Hurricane Irma was my first hurricane completely on my own. When it was predicted to come up the east coast, I considered going to stay with some cousins on the west coast, or even getting a hotel in Orlando. When the track changed, sending the eye of the storm up the west coast instead, I decided to stay home.
I could have gone and spent the night with some friends a few miles away. Maybe I should have or maybe God wanted me home alone. I learned a lesson about pride when my power went out at 8pm. One of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to stay with my friends was that my power had been so reliable during Hurricane Matthew last year.
Mia trying to open the door with her mind.
Hurricane bunker provisions
I learned a lot about drawing close to God too. After tornado warnings that were sounded as soon as the previous one expired (at one point my area was under three different tornado warnings at the same time), with the wind howling so loud and my bathroom feeling like a shrinking prison, I turned on my lantern and reached for two books: Fervent by Priscilla Shirer and I Am by John Paul Jackson. I Am is a Bible study I am attending about the names of God, powerful stuff, and Fervent is about learning how to pray powerfully against the evil that seeks to destroy our lives. Reading these books brought my focus to God, my deliverer, my redeemer, my refuge. It was more calming than conversing with another person crowded in a small room.
When I turned the light off to try and sleep I kept hearing the chorus to “O My Soul” by Casting Crowns.
O my soul,
You are not alone
There’s a place where fear has to meet the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
‘Cause you’re not alone
I don’t know why I have delayed downloading this CD, but once I have power again I will make sure to add it to my library.
I was also reminded of God’s perfect timing. As the worst passed and we were downgrading to tropical storm conditions, I went upstairs to read, there was more light up there. Fervent is broken down into sections to help the reader build a strategy for prayer. The chapter I started reading was on praying for your family. This is important stuff any time, but especially timely for me as there is some stuff going on that needs serious prayer. If I had read this book over the summer as I had intended when I purchased it, this chapter may not have resonated with me as much or I may have forgotten the important points it covers when I need them now.
Finally, I was assured of God’s provision. About an hour after the power went out I went to the kitchen for some reason and found water on the floor. I couldn’t believe the freezer was melting already. Then I heard a drip and swinging the flashlight around I saw water dripping from my pot rack hanging from the ceiling.
I managed to get all of the pots down, then the rack itself, which was a feat. It’s quite a heavy thing. After that the dripping stopped. There appear to be some water spots on the ceiling so I don’t know if the chain was acting as a wick and the weight was drawing the water out of the ceiling beams or what. After the storm I went outside but couldn’t see any shingles missing from the roof.
I put out a call on Facebook for anyone who might be able to come over and take a look. A number of people liked the post, but no one was offering assistance. I went to check on other friends in the area and briefly discussed my situation. I acknowledged that God would provide what I needed and when I got home I found a response on Facebook asking for more information. We talked and arrangements were made for a visit the following day.
As I write this, I still don’t know what caused the leak and I am going on 27 hours without power and yet I am at peace. Don’t get me wrong, there have been times of anxiousness and frustration. There is nothing fun about a house without AC on a warm summer day/night, but I am grateful for this experience.
We talk about God being with us through the metaphorical storms of life, but sometimes it’s good to remember He is with us during the literal storm as well.
Update: Its now been over 65 hours without power but I have been blessed by so many people. Those who have offered their freezer, who have allowed me to charge my devices and provided a hot meal, and two who helped with my roof concern. First, a high school friend came with a ladder and we were able to asses my roof, finding a couple cracks in flashing and slightly lifted shingles. Then I was able to connect with my church’s former maintenance man. He came over and filled in the cracks with caulk. He also checked to make sure there weren’t any other compromised areas. God provided both of these individuals at points when I was beginning to lose hope. I know how fortunate I was to have such minimal damage. Power will be restored eventually. I saw a crew a few blocks away and took them the cookies I made before the power went out as a way to thank them for traveling so far to help us out (they were from Wyoming). Through all of this I have learned a lot about myself and about God. I hope I will carry these lessons with me for a long time.
The sunrises on a new day after the storm
there was something else out there that I’d rather do…write! My only regret about my past career was that I did not leave it sooner to pursue writing. I am grateful to my daughter for forcing me to consider my options!
