Earthquakes and Hurricanes
JULY 31, 2020
By Pastor Tim Shaw
I was born and raised in California. I lived in the Golden State my entire life until I moved to Hawaii in 2013. As a native Californian I know exactly what I’m supposed to do when the earth begins to shake, the light fixtures start to sway, and pictures start falling off the wall. In elementary school, we regularly practiced what to do when an earthquake hit. Here’s the drill: drop, cover, and hold on.
The worst experience I ever had during an earthquake happened while I was in college. Since the epicenter was very close to my rickety, two-story Santa Barbara apartment, the shaking during this moderate earthquake was intense. As the quake hit, it became nearly impossible for me to walk down the hall to get to a place in my apartment where I could initiate the “drop, cover, and hold on” drill. The walls of my apartment were moving back and forth so violently that I wondered whether the building was going to collapse. When the shaking stopped, I was fully adrenalized!
I also experience the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. That’s the one that happened during the World Series and caused extensive damage in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the collapse of one section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge. I was driving home from work and coming to a stop at a stoplight just below the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley when the quake hit. Suddenly, my car started to rock side to side and the telephone wires began to swing. When I discovered that all of the radio stations were now off the air. I thought to myself, “I don’t know how big that was but I think something really bad just happened.” Even though that was a much larger quake than the one I experienced in Santa Barbara, it did not rattle me like that quake in college.
I’ve been pondering the difference between earthquakes and hurricanes ever since I moved to Hawaii. Even though I now have some experience with tropical cyclones (including the one last weekend), I think I still prefer that disasters come into my life unannounced. Maybe it’s because I grew up in California and have extensive experience with the ground moving, that I prefer earthquakes to hurricanes. With an earthquake, you don’t have to spend a week tracking the arrival of a potential disaster. Earthquakes just happen and when they do you deal with the aftermath.
If you had a choice, which potential disaster would you prefer, a hurricane or an earthquake? Many people I’ve spoken with here in Hawaii would rather face a hurricane than an earthquake because they feel like they have more control with an on-coming cyclone. They can see the storm approaching and can take the necessary action to secure themselves, their loved ones, and their belongings. I, on the other hand, found it exhausting to watch Hurricane Douglas spin up off the coast of Mexico and head for the Central Pacific.
The truth is that sometimes difficulties and challenges enter our lives with plenty of warning and sometimes they show up unannounced. When faced with the possibility of a natural disaster like an earthquake or hurricane, how we prepare during the times when the storm is not bearing down on us and the earth is not shaking is super important. During COVID-19, we have the equivalent of a storm parked on top of us so we may need to create the spaces where we recharge and prepare for the challenges ahead. The spiritual practices we cultivate to deepen our relationship with Jesus, the spiritual resources we store in our lives during the seasons of calm will determine how well it goes for us when the difficulties of life hit us or intensify. Being a part of a supportive community is absolutely necessary if we hope to weather the storms. We were not created to face big challenges on our own. We are created to go through the good times and the hard times with others. And when the storms hit, when the earth begins to shake, I think the advice I was given in 2nd grade is still the best. Drop to your knees in prayer, seek the covering and the protection of something stronger than yourself, and hold on. Hold on to others and hold on to our faithful God as the storms of life pass.
Psalm 91:1-2 reminds us that “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. They say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
This is an invitation for all of us to continue and maybe intensify our spiritual preparations. As we continue to navigate through a global pandemic and as we await the future challenges that will certainly come, let us take the time to go deeper in our relationship with God and with others.
Prayer: Lord, we are so grateful that You are a God in whom we can take refuge. You love us with a love that is impossible to measure, and You are able and ready to help us in our time of need. Thank You for all the ways that You have proven to each one of us that You are indeed a faithful and good God. When the storms and earthquakes of life hit us, may we entrust ourselves to You and know Your peace. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
Share this with a friend: