I have consistently watched the media coverage of the tragic Kerrville Flood for the last week. I have read everything I could find on the precious children lost in the raging waters and the heroic rescues of those that somehow found a way to survive this nightmare. I have prayed for the search and rescue teams, the clean-up crews, and the coordinators who have what seems like an impossible job to bring closure and restoration to our beautiful Hill Country.
My husband and I have listened to the Holy Spirit to hear how we can best serve our fellow Texans in the aftermath, but this post is not about shining a light on our efforts. God knows. I try to get sleep at night, but the images and the stories won't let my spirit or my brain rest. I see the questions posed by the Doubters and those who look to Politics and the World for explanations about how something this horrendous could be allowed to happen. And then the finger-pointing begins... someone should have done something to avoid this tragedy!
Those whose faith in a Sovereign God is weak or non-existent will look to government officials for the answers to society's ills. And I've read posts that stoop to make this disaster about "white privilege" and politics, pointing out that "Camp Mystic is a sacred name in Texas elite circles. Girls of Governors, oil families, and even former First Ladies have attended", citing the cost to attend and the 3 million dollar yield at the end of each summer as financial benefits for the owners, who have owned the Camp for generations ... and who, by way, perished in the Flood trying to get girls to higher ground.
In the first 24 hours, people who don't live in Texas or understand our history, our hearts for our fellow Texans, nor our pride in taking care of each other -- no matter our ethnicity, social status, or financial level -- were quick to pass judgment. They accused us of failing the kids, failing the families in the RV camps, failing the elderly, and failing the First Responders. Within the first 24 hours they declared that the brave responders "didn't have the resources" they needed. They tried to say that the two brave Mexican counselors who had their wits about them to write the childrens' names on their arms "gave everything, but wouldn't get the headlines". Nothing has been further from the Truth.
Texans across the state came together and poured their hard-earned money into the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a Flood Relief Fund to support, Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point and Comfort nonprofit organizations, first responder agencies, and local governments, in response to the 500-year flood event. We didn't wait for FEMA and the Federal Government to come to our aid. We stepped up and went to work immediately. And if a crew needed chain saws, or chain saw oil, or replacement chains, they got them. Someone stepped up to fill the need. So, I am deeply offended by the callous remarks that "we've heard the "polished" grief for Camp Mystic. We've seen the prayers, the ribbons, the televised tears. And that grief is real. But so is the silence around everyone else who died in the same flood -- in the same night -- just without the privilege".
How dare you! How could you make that kind of judgment in the first hours, when no one yet had knowledge of the breadth and depth of the losses? How dare you try to make this a political statement about the millions of illegal people who crossed our borders -- an unimaginable number who are young children trafficked for the sex trade! You say we chose to "ignore Science" and had no real evacuation plan. I suggest you do a little more research before you give your uneducated opinion. Have you made the effort to follow this story? Have you seen the thousands of people who showed up to help in anyway they could -- spending hours in the blazing sun clearing brush and looking for bodies in the hopes that they can bring everyone home to their families? Or were you just looking for ways to slander people whose hearts you may never understand? Remember! This was a 500-year flood event! This country is only 249 years old ... can you wrap your head around that?!?!?
Our Faith is what gets us through these unimaginable events. And I'm going to tell you, we here in Texas take our faith seriously. And it is that faith that will not quit until every possible person can be reunited with their loved ones. We don't look at the color of skin when a tragedy like this befalls our state. We lean on God. And I've seen the remarks on TV and social media that question Him and how He could let this happen?
I want to be clear ... I am NOT judging anyone who asks the question I have posed in the title ... WHERE WAS GOD IN THE FLOOD? It's our human flesh that asks the natural questions -- Could God have stopped the Flood? Could He have saved everyone's life? Did He have the power to send angels , divert the waters, or awaken every camper before the Flood came? The answer to each of those questions is a definite YES! But He didn't.
So, how do we wrestle with our Faith over this conundrum? We didn't see the results or the hope that we prayed for. But we know God's heart for each of those precious children and every person that was lost in this devastating Flood. What is He trying to show us? So much suffering, and we need to see God's purpose in it. Can you imagine how each of the Disciples and Jesus's followers felt when He was crucified? They were probably asking the same questions ... If Jesus is the Son of God, why isn't God rescuing Him from the Cross? He's the same God today, so we know He could have, right? But He didn't. What was His reason?
None of us know, for sure, God's mind on this subject. However, I believe Jesus experienced suffering in this world, so He could show us that there's a greater purpose in the suffering. Like Him, we need to know that we can go through the pain, the fear, the chaos of this fallen world because we know He will never abandon us nor leave us. Even within the horror of those early morning hours, He was present in the rising waters. And He showed us that miracles still happen, when a person was found alive. He comforts us in the enormous loss so many experienced. The love that we see among the community, and the stories of the relationships forged in calamity will be the heritage of Camp Mystic.
My final thoughts remind me that God is Sovereign and I know His heart is broken over the loss of so many people. But I also am forced to acknowledge that we live in a Fallen world that has been corrupted by Satan. Man has become morally corrupted by Sin; nature has been corrupted; and even the weather has been corrupted from God's original design. Satan delights in seeing the pain that tornadoes, floods, volcanoes, and hurricanes cause God's children, whom he despises.
Yes, God could have stopped the flood, but He also could have stopped Jesus's death on the Cross, but Jesus chose to sacrifice His life in exchange for our eternal life. And, no, none of those children or people chose to die in that horrific flood, but we get to choose how we respond to this tragedy. We can blame God, let our faith suffer, and remain miserable for the rest of our lives, OR we can choose to praise Him for the love strangers are showing each other in the clean-up and recovery; for the selfless acts of charity; and the heart-breaking and back-breaking work to help bring closure for those God did save from the raging waters.
Satan will not defeat those who love Christ. Satan will not defeat Texan's spirits. And he will not, in the end, have a victory over God. God will [and is] bringing good out of this evil. We continue to go forward in faith, knowing Jesus understands our suffering because He suffered. It's OK that we question and get mad. God understands and forgives us when we humbly approach Him, expressing our sorrow. Let us lift up His Holy Name and declare His Sovereignty and Dominion over all things! Amen!
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.