Earthquakes, Tsunamis, And Snow . . . Oh, My!

   I have been thinking about Dorothy's beginning of the journey to Oz these past few days as I have been reflecting upon the beginning of Lent as well as the role ol' Mother Nature has been playing in our country and around the world. Instead of chanting "Lions, and Tigers, and Bears", we can say Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Snow!
   There appear to be a lot of reasons to fear right now.
   After the devastating earthquake in Haiti and the killing blizzards around our country, we heard, yesterday, about an earthquake striking Chile that was many times more powerful than the one that hit Haiti. People are very concerned. Rightly so.
   Yet, in the concern, comes paranoia.
   Some people, again, are taking up the chant the God is behind all of this, that God is angry at His people, that God is trying to get our attention.
   Why does all the bad stuff around the world get attributed to God and God's wrath?
   Even more, if we are going to attribute this to God, than we have to attribute everything to God.
   Could you imagine those headlines?
   Every plane that took off today landed safely. They were in God's hands.
   Bridge collapses but no one was injured. God saved them!
   Sun rose and set without incinerating our planet. Go God...
   Bad things happen. They have happened in the past. They happen today. They will happen in the future. And they happen because we live in a world flawed and tainted by sin. Bad things happen in our lives. They happen because we, too, are flawed and tainted by sin.
   And that is not God's fault. It is ours.
   God, however, is ever-present to us, leading us and guiding us if we but accept His direction.
   As we pray for all of those who are victims of nature, let us remember that our time on this planet is fleeting in relation to eternity. God is going to call us to Himself one day. In order to be ready for that call, we must live in readiness. The question that we must ask is not, Will you be ready tomorrow? but, rather, Are you ready right now?