"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, 'you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" (Genesis 2:15-17 NIV)
This article originally appeared last year following the devastating landfall of hurricane Katrina. It seems appropriate that we consider these matters once again as many people continue to face stormy issues in this life. Citizens of Cedar Key are most thankful that we suffered only minimal property damage from the recent storm Alberto. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
The word "aftermath" is now in frequent use by TV and Radio reporters and commentators. It also appears in magazine and newspaper articles to describe the deplorable conditions that thousands of people are experiencing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. My wife is educated in linguistics and was a little puzzled at hearing this word used in this manner. We discussed its etymology and gave our approval to use this word after such a major cataclysm.
The problems people face in this aftermath are numerous, and to the unaffected may seem trivial, unless it involves all your personal life. Many people have not returned to see what might be left of their home. Some lost their dearest loved ones or a favorite pet. Many people have lost everything they owned including their home, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, children's' games and toys, furniture, clothing, pictures, documents - birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, diplomas, Bibles, favorite books, diaries, manuscripts, mementos, military records, medals, computers, wills, personal letters, and other memorabilia. Each person must deal with the great loneliness, emptiness, and forge ahead to start a new life bearing the scars of this great destruction. Unfortunately, for many the heaviness of this aftermath is so great that they may never attempt a new start.
As we think seriously about how we can best help those suffering from this and other storms, we also must pray for God's blessings upon these people so that they will have new resolve to make a fresh start with Christ on the throne of their hearts.
While Galina was musing about the word aftermath, she asked if it would be proper to use it in connection with sin. There is no doubt about the great cataclysmic effects of sin upon the life of an individual and those around them. The Bible defines sin as rebellion against God culminating in disobedience to God`s commands. God knows what is best for us, and we fall severely when we think we can direct our own steps better than the One who made us. While we generally refer to the consequences of sin, we can correctly refer to the aftermath of sin because of the horrible destruction caused by a life of sin.
We only need to look at many family situations in our modern society to see the powerful aftermath of sin. Just consider the problems of children who live with only one parent because of a home divided by the sin of adultery. How do we comfort these suffering children when they cry in the night for Mommy or Daddy? How do teachers and other school officials cope with the overwhelming rejection that these children experience? Many of these children grow up thinking that it is somehow their fault that they only have one parent.
In America and in many hospitals around the world, children are born with physical, mental and emotional problems brought upon them because of a careless parent who loved alcohol or narcotics. It is not important for the child whether or not the parent using these substances had an addictive disease. Some children are born with permanent defects that they will take to the grave. Such children will live all their lives in the aftermath of a great storm - the sins of one or both parents.
It is not too late for some alcohol and drug addicts to start a new life and salvage something for their children and other family members who are living in the aftermath of their life of sin. Here is the now famous 1944 version of AA's Twelve Steps, which might help someone make a fresh start: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. More information at www.serenityfound.org
You are encouraged to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Write me with any questions or comments. David Binkley, Sr., P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or E-mail at dgbinkley@aol.com. Please visit our web site at www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. |
