LOVE, LIFE AND THINGS

The Look of Love, Chicago, IL

The tragic loss of life and property emanating from our television screens this week overshadow any of our insignificant problems. All creation which has fallen from its created perfect state seems to be acting with more ferocity, power and increasing frequency these days, like the pains of childbirth Paul writes about in Romans 8. Or maybe it’s just that there are more and more folks in the way these days and more cameras at the ready to capture the event. That part of the country in “tornado alley” is located in a prime breeding ground for intense storms fueled by cold fronts descending from the north colliding with warm moist air being pulled unabated from the south out of the Gulf of Mexico.

It was heartwarming to see the live interview with an elder woman who was standing around her flattened home in Moore, Oklahoma. This was a no nonsense Midwesterner who undoubtedly had seen more than her share of violent storms and tornados over the years. When asked by the reporter if she comprehended what had just happened, her response was quick and firm. “I know exactly what happened”, she replied. Then she mentioned that she had been holding her little dog when the tornado slammed into her home and she knew he must be somewhere under the rubble.

As the camera panned over the devastation, you could imagine the poor animal lying dead under all the weight and carnage. Then the camera zoomed into a dark shadow under twisted metal and splintered lumber to reveal a stirring black face with piercing eyes. It would seem the dazed pet had quite possibly heard a familiar voice, one that gave hope for survival and new life. The woman was alerted and she and one of the crew members quickly pulled off the rubble to release the stiffened dog from its deathly snare. The woman then thanked God for not only answering one prayer to spare her, but a second one for her “best friend” as they were reunited and the little black, mud coated schnauzer gingerly ambled away from the destruction.

Another image uncovered amid the devastation revealed a garden rock with the relevant inscription, “The things in life that are important are not things”. Both the woman and her beloved best friend understood that all too well on this day.