Healing in the hurting

It has been a rough and very stressful weather month in the state of Oklahoma. And watching what my home state has gone through this past month....my neighbors, my community has moved me beyond words. I have spent more time praying than I remember spending in a long time. I was praying for the rain to stop. I was praying for the storms to cease, I was praying for the rivers, lakes and creeks to go down. I was praying for protection. I was praying for a miracle!

I've had to keep a very active prayer life even going into June as storms have tried to start up and time and time again I've watched them fall apart. Over Christmas I witnessed a lot of strife in my community that had gotten me down honestly as Christmas is my favorite time of year (and it's difficult to write about a community coming together at Christmas when you are witnessing the exact opposite of that). But following all the flooding and waters receding I've seen something different. I've seen a community finding a way to work together. I've seen churches loving people (you know that thing they are supposed to always do). I've seen strangers from other communities show up with supplies and man power. I've seen the best of humanity.

It's something that living in Oklahoma I've seen time and time again. When we are hit hard we don't divide, we band together, we lock arms and we fight to recover, fight to heal, fight to restore, fight to rebuild. It's an amazing and beautiful thing. But it shouldn't take hurt to bring healing. It shouldn't take devastation to unite people. We need each other everyday. If I had one wish coming out of all this, one continued prayer: it would be that as a community, as a state we would continue to do this all year round. Not just when we are all hurting.

Be Honest, Be Real, Be You

Prov 3:5-6

Bobbie De Leon