Unexpected Routes

The Lord himself goes before and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

DEVOTION

May 24, 2011 was like any normal day. My sons, Bailey and Bryson, were in their first few days of summer break from school. I was recovering from surgery. My aunt was at our home taking care of us, and my husband was at work.

Aside from surgery, it was a typical day of starting the summer.

My aunt and I had run a couple of errands for last-minute dinner items, and when we got home, my phone started ringing. It was my husband, Brett, and he asked, “Have you watched the weather?” I said no, and he said, “Well, you might want to pay attention.”

I turned on the TV to see what was going on, and things were not looking great. The phone kept ringing—more calls from my husband and my two brothers urging us to leave the house and get to a safe place. After several more calls and hearing the urgency in their voices, I knew we needed to leave immediately.

Our sons, my aunt, and I went to our little church in Cashion for shelter. On the way, we listened to the radio, and that’s when I heard: “Tornado on the ground! This thing is destroying everything in its path!”

After we stayed at our church and rode out the storm, we headed back home. When we got to our neighborhood, everything seemed normal, but as we got closer to the end of the road where our house was, there was nothing. The house we had left an hour ago was no longer there—it was just a pile of debris.

We went from having a home, three cars, and everything we needed to no house, the clothes on our backs, and one car. As I took everything in, I wondered how to keep it together for my boys who were watching every move I made. I knew how I reacted would determine how they felt and how they walked through this situation. I wondered: how should I respond to this devastation?

Everything after that was like a scene from a movie. Dogs and horses were running loose everywhere, and neighbors were checking on neighbors. My husband called to see what was going on and asked if we were okay. I reassured him we were okay, but told him our house was gone. He said, “What do you mean ‘the house is gone’?” I told him, “It’s gone. It’s all gone.”

As the night went on, Brett finally made it back to us, weaving in and around electrical poles and debris. Family and friends started to gather to see what they could do for us. We had such amazing friends standing in the gap for us. Some offered their houses to stay in that night and nights after, and some went to Wal-Mart (the only store open that late at night) for new, clean clothes so we would have something to wear the next day.

The next few days were a whirlwind. We did not know where we were going to live, how we would get around, or what the next steps were. We were totally lost.

But God showed up through his people! Someone offered us a furnished house to live in until we bought or rebuilt our home, and we only needed to pay utilities while we stayed there. Envelopes started showing up with cash in them. Sweet friends gave us a car to drive until we could buy one. People helped go through the debris to find something, anything that was familiar—something to cling to!

This part is hard to share because so many were not as lucky as we were. We found those heart-treasured items including family pictures, a mold of our boys’ hands when they were little, a quilt Brett’s grandmother made him, and the wedding dress my mom made. They didn’t have any damage—no stains, nothing!

We were grateful to have these personal, cherished items that could never be replaced. It was astounding that these items could make it through an F5 tornado, but our washer, dryer, and couches could never be found. Because God was there, he knew what our hearts needed. He was right in the middle of the storm.

During this time, a friend reminded me of Ephesians 5:27: “... and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” She said, “Christie, you have a tangible reminder with your wedding dress! Remember Christ is coming for his bride without stain, and your wedding dress is stain-free!”

There are many more stories of how God was with us during this time. We saw the hands and feet of Jesus at work and felt God’s love. He was and still is with us, through all the storms, seasons, and trials. He is with us no matter what. God never left us through this storm, and he will not leave you.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

There are so many people experiencing storms in their lives. Let them feel your presence. Let them know you have gone before them and nothing surprises you. Let them lean into you. Let them know they are not alone! Let them know they are yours!

Amen.

Christie Tyler

Administrative and Special Events Coordinator, Crossings Edmond

ctyler@crossings.church

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