A church with only six members was destroyed. Where the beautiful historic building once stood is now a large hole where a foundation once was next to a newly erected large blue tent. The view from the tent is destruction as far as the eye can see, along with what’s left of an antique organ wedged in a tree.
It’s Sunday morning, and I could not help but come to be a part of Greensburg’s first church service. As I sat down to this meaningful event, I could not help but notice that people were coming from all over to participate in this service. Even the members of the National Guard showed up. The makeshift pews made up of plastic chairs were filling up quickly. Then who takes center stage but Wes Carlton…but this time, instead of overalls he wore a suit and in place of the America flag baseball cap he wore a cowboy hat. He also had a guitar.
I’m not sure what was going through this man’s mind but I do know this: he could care less that his church was demolished and piled up in some farmer’s field on the edge of town. What Wes Carlton cared about was that the people of his community came to church. His smile was contagious, and his love for those people was evident.
A husband and wife got up to sing a song together. She had bruises all over her face but didn’t seem to mind to stand in front of everyone to sing. Have you ever heard the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul“? Have you ever heard it sung by an 80-year-old man who just a week before stood holding his wife in a closet while his house was ripped apart wall by wall?
Pastor Wes pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. On it was the sermon notes and tears rolled down his face as he read his thoughts and shared his Bible verses. But they were tears of joy and thankfulness. As I saw this man preaching among the destruction and debris surrounding this little tent, I realized something. Life is precious. Nothing mattered at that point but people.
Can you explain a sunset so that people understand what you saw? Or can you explain the joy of when your first baby was born? Can I explain what I saw in these people today as they sang “It Is Well With My Soul” while standing in piles of debris as far as the eye can see? I cannot but I can say everyday is a gift.
No comments:
Post a Comment