Christianity lived to the fullest involves struggle
On average, there are around 7-10 moderate to strong tornado events formally reported in New Zealand each year. One of the most damaging and lethal tornadoes occurred at Frankton (Hamilton) on August 25, 1948.
It carved a 100–200-metre swath through the suburb, causing three deaths, 12 injuries, damaging 150 houses and 50 businesses with an overall damage cost of $60 million.
Taranaki had a tornado on August 12, 2019, resulting in one person being hurt, at least one house being severely damaged and huge trees being torn out of the ground.
Residents in Bell Block said they saw sheets of iron flying through the streets, while power lines were down and a vehicle was struck by a trampoline.
Another tornado hit a few days later, ripping through Awakino and leaving total ‘‘carnage’’ in its wake.
The extreme weather destroyed three houses, leaving residents in shock as their homes splintered apart.
More recently, a tornado tore through properties in the Waikato on December 15, 2019, ripping up trees, smashing windows and lifting at least one roof.
Most, but not all, tornadoes form from thunderstorms. When the two air masses of warm moist air and cool dry air meet, they create instability in the atmosphere.
When the warm air moves upward the cap of cold air will eventually give way, causing the storm winds to begin spinning.
This will create a funnel-shaped cloud. If that funnel cloud touches the ground, it becomes a tornado.
Being an owner of property that is damaged or receiving injuries as a result of an usual weather event is neither pleasant or something to look forward to.
However, we cannot stop tornadoes occurring. Unwanted and unpleasant weather events are can be ‘replicated’ in life. Often, without much warning, something happens and our whole world can be turned upside down in a matter of seconds or minutes.
It could be the death or serious injury to a friend or family member, the collapse of a company, resulting in staff facing unemployment, or 101 other scenarios. When we are totally unprepared for the event occurring we are often left stunned, wondering what to do and who to turn to.
Being a Christian or a follower of Jesus is no insurance policy that ‘‘bad’’ things will not happen to us.
It is unreasonable to expect that those who believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life will have a ‘‘charmed existence’’, free from the less than palatable outcomes of what happens every day in the world.
In fact, one of the greatest obstacles to becoming a committed Christian is that Christianity is challenging.
The task of living a fully God-centred life is no walk in the park, as the lives of the greatest and most fully converted Christians who have ever lived, the stories of many of which, are found in the Bible, will attest.
Indeed, Christianity lived to the fullest involves struggle.
A Christian who thinks they can exist without suffering or ‘‘unwanted events’’ happening in this world is mistaken.
This begs the question: ‘‘Who would choose such an unhappy life?’’ In God in the Dock, the former atheist C.S. Lewis responded to this question by remarking: ‘‘I didn’t go to religion to make me happy.
‘‘I always knew a bottle of port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.’’
Like a hospital, Christianity is for sick and dying people, not for a healthy, righteous world (Mark 2:17).
Christianity is the Emergency Ward for people who are guilty, ashamed, failed and flawed. The choice to be Christian is as much a decision to follow one’s head as a decision to follow one’s heart.
Genuine Christians are not like slaves that are sad, imprisoned, reluctant worshippers. Rather, authentic followers of Christ are joyful and thankful because they have found something so good and great.
The more we open our heart to God, with whatever we are experiencing in the moment, the closer our relationship will become. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.
I would rather walk through the storms of life with God, than without him.
I would rather walk through the storms of life with God, than without him.