Try sleeping without AC. When the temperature swelters just below 100 degrees and your skin feels sticky and damp. It is too hot to crawl under your only cover, a thin sleeping bag. It makes me think of Ms. Andrea, a long- time friend of ARM who told me two days ago her main AC is not working. With medical conditions, this makes her situation much more dangerous than mine. Extreme heat is a silent killer to our seniors and those with medical problems. I have felt tired, run ragged, and struggling to cool down. We value homes and repairs make them warm, safe, and dry. It is also important to stay cool.
Each year, it seems like a significant weather event happens at the shack. Last year was Hurricane Michael, the year before that, Tropical Storm Nate. We have stayed in extreme cold, major storms, droughts, and now an early, fall heat wave. It makes us think. It makes us empathize. It makes us want to do more!
My Sunday School class from Auburn UMC came over to visit this morning. We discussed three topics:
1) How many families, working poor, were already struggling in Lee County before the tornadoes struck? What did this reveal and expose?
2) Who was being exploited to predatory lending before the tornado? Like when you discover the family trapped in a 30- year mortgage at 13% interest on a double- wide mobile home. The home cost less than $80,000 and they will pay over $200,000 when it is finished. Damaged by the storm, the insurance deductible is $5,000 and the estimate to repair is $4800. This is just one of many facing this social injustice.
3) Then we discussed suffering and all the insufficient answers we get for when something bad happens. We recognized there is a larger totality of Scripture with about twelve different situations regarding suffering. Telling people “it is God’s plan, He never gives you anything you cannot handle (misquote of the verse which is discussing temptation), it is because you sinned, Satan is behind it,†etc. can sound helpful but in reality, can be really painful. We discussed how God does not go against his character. His character is good. So, the above statements could be true but not the total picture. I have said so many times, it would be against God’s goodness to send a storm to steal, kill, and destroy (that is the role of Satan), so therefore, we must recognize God’s presence in our suffering. God may be in control and sovereign, but does He control? Free will is a beautiful gift and many times sin is an abuse of that free will. So much to unpack with that!
It was a great conversation and we wrestled with how we deal and understand suffering!
I have a story about a homeless man I met today and will hold this until tomorrow!
We are now over $56,000! Almost halfway there and just a big push to $125,000. Help Ms. Matthews finish her home! www.arm-al.org/give 334-459-9366 (text “giveâ€). Or mail to P.O. Box 2890 Auburn, AL. 36831
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