When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.—Isaiah 43:2
This week has certainly been a rough one. I have been in touch with many of you. Thankfully, the damage done by the hurricane seems mostly to be to property, and I have not heard that anyone was physically hurt. I was heartened to hear some of you talk about how at the moments when Idalia was kicking up the worst of her winds and rain, you were able to find prayers and scripture to remind you that God is with us always, especially when we are feeling the most scared and vulnerable.
In difficult and stressful times such as these, remembering that God helps us pass through trouble is the balm for the soul. It can also help us to open our hearts a little wider to our neighbors who are in need. That feeling of having been through a difficult time together does tend to help dissolve differences and see strangers as fellow sojourners. And I am hearing some stories of that happening, too. As so many of you said to me, “We’ll get through this.” And we will. With patience, a touch of humor, helping one another and trusting in God, we will be fine.
If anyone is in critical need, please reach out to me or your vestry.
I will see you on Sunday. We’ll do some picking up of the campus and giving thanks to God that we still have each other to help us get through the tough times.—Rev. Susan