The Imelda Offense
If you live in Southeast Texas, Imelda became a household name in 2019. Our motto here is “everything is bigger in Texas,” so unless it’s a CAT 5 hurricane, we’re not paying much attention, and Imelda was no different. Just a little tropical storm in the Gulf but what we didn’t know…what she lacked in wind strength she made up for in rainfall. Two years prior, Hurricane Harvey devastated our area with extreme flooding and many places were still recovering from that when Imelda came ashore, without much warning or fanfare, and dropped 30” of rain in a little over 24 hours. Déjà vu…here we go again.
I remember going out to my church, after the waters had receded, and noticing how the creek that runs behind our property seemed almost back to normal. A week before, it was a tiny creek; within days, it had become a raging force of nature, and then, as if nothing had happened, it was back to itself, the tiny creek just streamin’ along, while we slaved in the Texas summer heat for months to repair the damage it did.
It made me think about offenders. One day, you’re friends with someone and you think everything is good between the two of you. Then suddenly, without any real warning, they do or say something that rocks your world, flooding you with hurt, anger, and confusion. Amazingly to you, they don’t even seem affected by the reality of what just took place, and frustratingly they may even go back to “being friends,” like nothing happened. For days, or maybe even longer, you stew about what happened, trying to figure out if you did something wrong, meanwhile the offender has no clue that you are still reeling from their lashing.
We could have gotten angry at God for allowing that horrible flood to ravage our 110 acres…after restoring it all just two years prior after Harvey. We could have seethed and shouted at how unfair it was, but where would that have gotten us? All we can do in ANY circumstance is trust that His word is truth and that good will come of it, even if we can’t see it today. Don’t let any offense linger, whether by creek or creep…let it go so God can bless it.