No matter when or where tragedy strikes, it leaves us bewildered, devastated, and aching in ways words cannot adequately express. At the writing of this article, there are still dozens of Tennessee residents missing and unaccounted for after severe tornadoes tore through parts of Nashville and Cookeville. By the time you read this I am certain that more updates will be forthcoming as more collapsed buildings are searched and much of what is included in this article may be information of which you are already aware.
It seems that the Mt. Juliet area East of Nashville and the city of Cookeville were among the hardest hit areas. While I have not read any details about the former community, quite a bit of information has already been made public from congregations in the Cookeville area. The youth minister and his wife at the Collegeside Church of Christ (Matt and Macy Collins) lost their 4 year old daughter, Hattie. One of the adult members of that congregation also lost her life. At the Colonial Heights congregation in Cookeville, the daughter, son-in-law, and 2 year old grandson of the minister were all killed in the storm. One of the teens at the Sycamore Church of Christ in Cookeville has also died. The Donelson Church of Christ, also located in Nashville, posted on Tuesday, March 3rd – “As far as we know, all of our members are alive. Some have total loss. Others have substantial loss.”
Even though we are far removed from the devastation in Tennessee, we are well aware of the strength and devastation of tornadoes in our area of the country and can greatly empathize with what has happened in those communities. Tragic loss of life leaves humanity grasping for answers, yet the most important questions are not associated with when or where such tragedy occurs – but with how we handle such tragedies when they take place and as we endeavor to keep life moving past the difficulties those tragedies bring. Emptiness and heartache affect everyone, but the child of God has a strength and an outlook which non-Christians cannot understand. The resolve within the heart of the Christian and the strength to face each new day in a way where we can rejoice even in the midst of our tears is due to the promise of what lies beyond the confines of this physical existence. None of us knows how many more days we will have the privilege of life in this amazing creation, but we can rest assured of an existence far more wonderful than anything the physical world provides.
From an online article in the Christian Chronicle, on Sunday, March 1st, two days before the devastation of the recent tornado, the words of the first song sung during worship at the Collegeside Church of Christ in Cookeville included – “I’m gonna sing in the middle of the storm – Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar.” May our love for our Heavenly Father and our firm belief in His word cause us to be able to sing in the middle of the storms we face! Have a blessed week! (Jim)