A Mother's Concern

The tragedies from the last few weeks' weather events are taking a toll not just on the victims but on the younger viewers. Yesterday I received this email from a parent:

"In 2008, a tornado came through our area. My daughter's grandmother had taken her to Northpark Mall. While they were there, a man came over the loud speaker and told everyone to take cover. The lights went out, people were screaming and she was very upset and scared. Since that time, we have done everything we can to tell her God is in control. When she sees disasters like Smithville (MS) and Joplin (MO), it is hard for her to understand why God does the things that He does. And honestly, as an adult, I sometimes wonder myself. Don't we all? It broke my heart the other night when we were enduring another round of severe weather when she turned to me and asked, "Momma, I'm losing my faith in God." Barbie, I cried. How do you explain this to a child? She watches you constantly and you seem to calm her down more than another other meteorologist on television. Please pray for her to overcome this debilitating fear of the weather. It is so bad, her teachers are concerned she may never get over it."

This viewer's daughter is not alone. Even our own 7 year old Gracie has gotten quite emotional over the last few weeks seeing the devastation on the news. So much so, I've become more alert to turning the television off!

I don't fully understand why God allows this to occur to seemingly innocent people. However, I think about how merciful He has been in many other cases. For instance, even though this spring has been full of severe weather, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has only had 1 reported tornado this year, which is unusual. I also think about how much more destruction we would be dealing with if God would to take His hand of mercy off us.

When Gracie gets upset, we stop what we're doing and we all say a prayer so she hears us ask the Lord to grant peace to the hurting and show us how we can help. Instead of asking why God allows bad things to happen, perhaps He is putting the rest of us in a position to minister to those who have been affected? Many questions we won't get the answers to this side of heaven.

Psalm 125:2 says, "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever more."

Even through the destruction and fear, God is still in control.