An earthquake shook our region this morning at 5:37 a.m. I awoke to the sound of its pending arrival before ever feeling the first tremor. Like the low rumbling of an empty tractor trailer going through a series of potholes, but with an increasing decibel level that matched the nearness of the approaching tremor, the ripples of the shifting earth and rock enveloped our home long seconds after I first woke to the sound of its imminence. Then, perhaps 4 or 5 seconds of shaking gave way to the recessional sounds of the quake as it continued its sinewy course of movement away from the epicenter, some 100 miles from our home.
Nancy and I both fairly leapt up from our slumber to move towards a doorway, only to be met by our sons lights flipping on in their rooms and them doing the same. It was only seconds of shaking, but the responses were remarkable. "Was that an earthquake?" Ched asked. Ray's response made me smile, "Why do you think we are all standing in the doorways? That was spooky." As the sound of rumbling subsided in the distance, Nancy and I sat down on the bed and flipped on the television to see how long before the local stations had something to say about our shared experience. It took only a few minutes and then held the central focus for hours thereafter. Nancy went ahead and got ready for work as I continued to watch the coverage. Life got back to 'normal' quickly, with only our memories to resurrect the experience and relive its wonder.
It got me to thinking though, which for that early in the morning could have been a hazardous task, but after the smoke of my brain engaging cleared, it occurred to me that this was probably one of the first, and certainly one of the most powerful, earthquakes the boys have ever experienced in their relatively short lives. For folks in California and other earthquake prone regions of the world, what we felt in a 5.2 or 5.3 tremor would have been little more than a morning yawner in their lives, yet for Southern Illinois, it was an event. And, more than that, it was an event that prompted particular reactions in our home: we all quickly moved towards doorways.
Nancy and I both have memories of fairly strong earthquakes in our lives and shared those as we took a few moments to settle down after this morning's rude awakening. But, for our sons, this was a fairly new revelation in their lives . . . and they reacted with practiced ease: They got out of bed, without our prompting, and moved into the doorways of their rooms and stood there as the earthquake moved beyond our hearing. Where did they learn this? How did they know the appropriate response? What was it that reminded them of what to do, even while being suddenly and rudely awakened at an early hour of the morning?
I do believe that God's angels among us often work overtime and that our personal guardian angels sometimes have to fly remarkably fast to keep up with our penchant to step into the deepest 'doo' at the most inappropriate of times . . . and I am eternally grateful no one was hurt and that property damage was at a minimum in the region. But, I also believe we learn lessons along the way that register in our brains and are held there until called upon in stressful situations, even unexpected stressful situations. In school, nearly every one of us in the 'New Madrid Fault' area have been regularly 'practiced' in what to do when an earthquake strikes. Have we practiced those things in our home? No. Yet, our schools have practiced, and continue to take seriously, the correct things to do to save your life when the foundations of the earth shakes around your ears. Go to doorways, if you are in a building, or get out if you can. This morning our family took action based on prior learnings and, even if the tremor wasn't large enough to do major damage, we inadvertantly found out that we have learned more than we really knew we understood and practiced it in a real life situation that may, somewhere down the road, save our lives when the earthquake is much more severe. God help us all.
Sitting with a cup of coffee and the newspapers which I read every morning, I found myself praying for those people who have never practiced what to do when the earth shakes under them, who have no earthly idea of how to save either their life or their soul when challenged. I prayed for the people who do not believe in prayer. I prayed for the people who have never stood in the midst of a faith community in worship, who do not know the strength and peace of having a faith community stand with them in trial. I prayed for the people who never practice what the Teacher teaches, opting to stay at their desks and get more work done while the rest of the class files out of the building to stand clear of all that potentially could bury you in rubble. I prayed for those who have no memory of Life-giving directions, of knowing what to do even in their sleep and knowing where to go even when they cannot see. I prayed for those who hear the rumbling of the earth shifting as it rapidly comes towards them, yet fail to comprehend that it will inevitably include them in the changes and they will only be left wondering what it was that hit them. I prayed for those who have no doorways to protect them, no beds under which to hide, no safe open area towards which to flee, and no hope of protection that might afford them security in the face of destruction.
I prayed for you and me . . . and I prayed for us all. This earthquake serves as a reminder that we are here on this journey as guests, even if only for a short time. There are things far greater going on in God's creation than we can fathom or even begin to imagine, yet, God does not leave us in our ignorance. God chooses to teach us, both, Life-giving ways of living and survival techniques for when the world threatens to overwhelm us. Not every tremor kills, not every quake destroys, but even in the midst of those which do, God is with us and God has the final word about our lives . . . as the earth quakes and the stone is rolled away from Jesus' tomb.
Listen to the lessons Christ teaches and practice in life what you are shown in class. Who knows when any of us will be suddenly awakened by the violence of life rumbling through our bedroom and we are faced with practicing what we know will save us or be left sitting in wonderment as the walls fall in around us. I pray we all know what to do when our moment comes.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Don
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