Overview:
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, the author reflects on the aftermath of the storm and how it stirred up mixed emotions of sadness and hopefulness. She relates the experience to the biblical story of Peter walking on water and being afraid when he saw the wind, only to be saved by Jesus. The author emphasizes that we survive storms but may end up nearly drowning in the sea of faithlessness that often follows. However, if we allow God to take us through the process, we develop spiritual stamina that increases our faith.
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” – Luke 8:25
Twenty years later, I am still shocked when I see pictures or videos of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from August 2005. It’s hard to believe that most of the damage didn’t come from the storm itself, but from the force of the water breaking the levees after the storm. New Orleans survived the storm but wasn’t prepared for what came after the storm. In the last few weeks, many news stations showed retrospectives of Hurricane Katrina replaying some of the most devastating images.
In many ways, seeing the footage and hearing stories of survivors twenty years later stirred up complicated and mixed emotions of sadness and hopefulness. I was hopeful seeing inspiring stories of how those who were displaced by the hurricane rebuilt their lives. However, there is a residue of sadness thinking of all of those whose lives were permanently changed by the storm. I myself could relate to the times in my own life when I thought I had survived the storm, only to find myself fighting in its aftermath.
Matthew 14:29-33 explains how Jesus responded to Peter after a storm: ”Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”
How do you survive the storm’s aftermath? Do you adopt the boldness of Peter, start out walking on water, then take your eyes off Jesus and panic when you feel yourself drowning? Some of us may be even bolder and decide to ride the waves of doubt, despair, and confusion and fear that often follow a storm because we don’t know what better to do. Nevertheless, like all good surfers, we may have one or two times that we wipe out and find ourselves engulfed by the waves. We don’t realize that God has given us power through our faith to make the storm waves calm down. As spiritual surfboarders, we try our best to ride on top of those waves and realize that God has given us power through our faith to ride out the storm as long as our focus remains on Jesus.
We survive storms but may end up nearly drowning in the sea of faithlessness that often follows these storms. Even though we’ve stepped out on faith, we may still allow anxiety and not faith to be our navigator through the storm’s aftermath. If we allow God to take us through the process, we develop the spiritual stamina that increases our faith.
Shewanda Riley (Aunt Wanda), PhD, is a Fort Worth-based author of “Love Hangover: Moving from Pain to Purpose After a Relationship Ends” and “Writing to the Beat of God’s Heart: A Book of Prayers for Writers.” Email her at preservedbypurpose@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @shewanda. You can also listen to her podcast at www.chocolateauntiepodcast.com.