Another hurricane off the coast of Florida!

Someone said to me last night “I wonder what those people in Florida have done to offend God.” Many have been brought up to believe that God blesses us when we are good and punishes us when we offend him. I am just not sure that is a good way to see life.

Maybe, we should see these events as an opportunity to see the needs of others, have compassion on them, and respond. We may never satisfy the question of “why” when these events befall us, however, we can certainly answer the question “why not?” Why not get involved? Why not make a donation to help? Why not help cut some trees or deliver some food? Why not build a bridge to someone else?

Communities are forced to come together when tragedy stricks. “Us and them” is quickly replaced with “we!” If tragedy and natural disaster has taught me anything at all, it has taught me there is no room for the blame game. People’s needs far outweigh the need to determine who is at fault.

It is said of Jesus, that he saw the crowds, had compassion on them, and then healed them. What a wonderful pattern for us to follow! Jesus demonstrated over and over again that building bridges to others was a must if we were to follow him.

Our bridge building must go beyond just the physical act of building a bridge across a gap. We must also build emotional, cultural, racial, political (and the list could go on) bridges. There is truth in the statement “united we stand, divided we fall.”

It is time to unite and build some bridges to others.

This is my story…