Lessons from the Atlanta Storm, Pt. II

The January storm has left many unpleasant and challenging consequences. For example, at the time of writing the city's Department of Solid Waste is entangled with unpaid workers claiming they were promised to be paid for their time away from work. The employees maintain they were willing but unable to report for duty due to the unsafe driving conditions. Many private sector companies, lacking an inclement weather policy covering disruptions of such magnitude, have also had to decide how to treat their employees' absence. The police department blames its unresponsiveness to many emergencies on a lack of chains for its car tires. The city's coffers are out of more than $5 million. And, as if these were not bad enough, the mayor and other city officials are continually at the receiving end of the blame for being unprepared and inept in their overall handling of the crisis. Overall, a dark and deep malaise of finger-pointing and frustration hovers over the ATL.

Yet, there is overhanging over this city.

For six days I marveled at how my community was quickly transformed from their dull, brown winter colors into a motionless blanket of unrelenting whiteness. It was a captivating sight. I was almost transfixed by the new, implacable hard covering, a monolithic mass proudly defying man's valiant efforts at removal. We all sat and beheld it! Of course the world complained and protested why is this happening to me!? What am I going to do now? It's so boring staying at home. Many complained of suffering from claustrophobia and even called television stations enquiring of possible mall openings so they could escape the cruel confines of their homes. I call this the inane vanity of radical depravity. Here it is that in spite of the fact that people were losing life and limb on dicey roads and regardless of the fervent pleadings of officials for us to stay at home, some were deliberately striving to do the opposite– to risk harm and danger in order to satisfy their dark, wanton craving.

The larger question is what did we learn? City officials learned and solidly vowed that they will have to be more prepared the next time such a disaster strikes. But surely there has to be more than simply physical preparations of collecting more food and firewood; stocking up flashlight batteries; filling up our gas tanks, etc. Surely there has to be more than this! I agree: the key word here is prepare/preparation. Why do I say this? I use the word in the sense that reaches far beyond the immediate and the foreseeable. I'm not trying to spiritualize the storm but I was seriously reminded of the Lord's rebuke to the troubled prophet Habakkuk, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Hab 2:14. I know I might be treading on thin ice here –pun intended – but I really did reflect on the coming time when the Lord will appear more suddenly than did the storm, even as a thief in the night. At that time his majestic self-revelation will be so sudden that even the most gifted meteorologists and their sophisticated, top-ranked, high-tech equipment will not be able to spot him on their radar screen. It was a time for me to reflect on the divine promise of the Second Coming of Christ when the Shekinah glory will emblazon the entire creation. Then, some will be ushered by the Righteous Judge to the right hand of the father in heaven to dwell with him in everlasting, unimaginable joy while others will be dispatched to an eternal, conscious punishment of incalculable proportions. In both cases God's glory will be seen in its ultimate perfection.

Like Israel, Atlanta and the rest of creation is continually charged to "prepare to meet your God… For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth-- the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!" Amos 4:12-13.

This is a visitation whose preparation requires not the stockpiling of physical food that perishes but the possession of food that endures to eternal life, the Bread of Heaven. The former is acquired by our purchases, the latter by his purchase with his blood. The former is the result of our work, the latter, the work of God which is that we believe on his Son Jesus Christ. Jn 6:29-32. How can we best prepare for this (his) inexorable unveiling? The ultimate storm? By ensuring that we place all our trust for this life and for the life to come in him alone who can still the storm by his sovereign, omnipotent voice saying, "Peace! Be still!" This is the most important challenge posed by the storm.