These pictures are scenes from around our little town of Seneca, South Carolina. It seems that, at every turn, we are bombarded with disaster. A few weeks ago, COVID-19 began shaking our nation after affecting many lives in other countries. As we are still processing the deaths and life changes stemming from this virus, many areas like ours were hit with a tornado.
What can we say to all of this? We would be lying if we said this has not affected us emotionally. At the foundation of both the virus and the storm, these tragedies are about people. Forget the politics. Forget opinions. Forget anything else. Let’s think about people who are hurting from loss. While we do think about things like isolation and economic hardship, we think about something deeper. We think about people who are grieving loss. The loss of loved ones. The loss of property. The losses are innumerable.
One thing we haven’t lost – our great Lord! He is the One who brings us hope in the midst of our hurt. He carries us when we are too weak to move forward. He is seen as people in our community unite in heart though they cannot be close in proximity. He is seen as people are coming from out of state to help clean things up. We don’t have to look far to see Him, and we don’t have to work very hard right now to listen to Him. He is speaking! Does He have our attention?
Honest Thoughts from a Pastor 
Great article. When all is gone, HE is our all in all.
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Yes, He is!
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This looks terrible! I’m so sorry that your town has to go through yet more suffering during this time. My prayers are definitely with you.
Oh what God is accomplishing during this outbreak. Hearts are being revealed, people are turning to him. You are right, God is still with us. That can’t be taken from us!
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I’m learning a lot about myself during this time. God is pruning, and it hurts!
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I’m praying for your community and your family. Thank you for always spreading the hope and truth found in our Lord! God bless you!
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Thanks for the prayers and encouraging words!
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Loss is so hard Matthew. For myself (2019, a year of much loss), I saw how much misplaced trust I had in God (health, loved ones,job, bank account…). Things and relationships can be lost in a moment. Yet, God is our “Rock”
So, I’ll be praying for you through these incredibly tough times. As bad as those pictures look I wonder what kind of wreckage God sees in peoples lives? My prayer is for their repair as well as the physical.
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Thank you, Gary! Loss is tough, but I’m thankful that God is our Rock.
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