Dallas County Living Well Magazine March/April 2016 | Page 14

Safe in the Storm

O

By Lisa Jenkins-Moore
n December 26, 2015
several tornadoes swept
through DFW and surrounding areas, leveling
homes, churches, and
businesses, sweeping vehicles off the
road, injuring hundreds and killing
11. I was home that evening huddled
under our stair closet with a puppy,
my children, and a friend while my
husband and grandfather were in the
bathroom with our other two dogs.
Sirens went off loudly around us and
our phones sent frequent emergency
alerts warning us to take cover. Our
community group communicated over
Voxer and we prayed fervently for one
another, asking God for His protection
and commanding the storm to subside.
The path of one of the largest tornadoes wound through Sunnyvale, Garland, Rowlett, Wylie, and many other
cities before it dissipated. As it moved
north it remained on the west side of

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Lake Ray Hubbard, decimating portions of Rowlett. It then headed northeast into Wylie. My house sits just on
the other side of the lake from Rowlett,
which experienced unbelievable destruction.
While God answered my prayers and
my friends’ prayers for safety that
night, others went unanswered. As I
watched videos of the destruction and
viewed pictures of demolished homes,
I was amazed at the courage and faith
of those who lost so much. One friend
posted a picture of a home with only
a few walls standing. On the face of
the brick the homeowner had spray
painted, “God is good; all the time.”
I’ve heard it said that faith isn’t faith until it is tested. When I think of someone
who has lost everything standing in
the rubble of what was once his “castle” spray painting the words “God is
good all the time,” I question my own
faith. Would I make such a statement

DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2016

in the midst of tragedy? Would you?
Though most of us have never experienced the terror of a tornado, or
survived a destructive storm, all of us
have weathered personal storms of
one kind or another. Perhaps you’ve
lost a loved one to cancer or a tragic
accident; maybe you’ve dealt with a
disability or been through bankruptcy.
Some of us have paid the price of poor
choices, while others have suffered
from no fault of their own. Regardless
of the cause of negative circumstances
in our lives, we all face difficult challenges, and as followers of Christ our
response is important.
While we must remember God is more
concerned with our character development than our comfort level, it can be
hard to trust Him at all times. We must
learn to do as David did and “strengthen ourselves in the Lord” (I Samuel
30:6). People experience God on different levels—some hear His voice,
others feel His presence, some see vi-