Tornado the Last Day of 2010!

Who would have thought the last day of 2010 would end in such a way?

Not many.

I even bragged to my family in Colorado how we were going to have 70 degree weather on December 31st not thinking of the weather implications beyond that fact.

On top of it, my sister called from Illinois with the news that their little dog had been killed.

I know. Many reading this are not really impacted by either piece of news. We really don't understand bad news until it hits us personally.

We say things like, "I'm so sorry." "How sad for you." Then we go out to eat or to our New Year's Eve party thanking God in our hearts that such things did not happen to us.

I know I did. I sat at P.F. Changs looking at the overcrowded restaurant. (One group of people near us actually tried to cram 11 people in for dinner. The booth only held 6. It didn't work.) The noise. The cheery faces. All of this I saw and realized how just a few miles away from us a much different scene was playing out.

No lights. Gas turned off. No electricity. Homes torn apart. People in hospitals and shelters.

Yet, I heard over and over on the news how grateful people were to be alive. I heard people claim how they knelt and prayed to God as the tornado swept over their homes and businesses.

After dinner, my little family and I went home to play games, watch a movie, and light sparklers. We yelled, "Happy New Year!" to the neighborhood and crashed in bed at 12:30.

As I began to drowse off, a thought hit me. "There is no time in heaven."

Do you understand the impact of that?

It means a lot to me.

We do not mark time in heaven.

I like that.

I don't like the feeling of "I wonder what next year will bring?"

I don't like the anniversary of Mom's death or Dad's death or the year the storm hit our area.

In Heaven there will be no more sickness, disease,no more tornado storms, and no more aging....no more TIME.

It won't be boring either. Jesus wasn't a boring person when here on earth, and He has plans for us in heaven....plans to prosper....plans for hope....plans that have no deadlines!

In the meantime, I am in a world that marks time and its passing. Next year, I am sure the news will mark the anniversary of Dec. 31, 2010's tornado. We will look back at that awful and strange last day of the year. Those of us not hit, will talk about how sad it was. Those impacted will have a different tone and perspective.

I do not know what this new year will hold for me and mine. I pray it is good. I pray for healing in the family and continued health and safety. In reality though, I just have to put it every day in God's hands. -Because if I think about the way the year ended for many people in my area, I can become anxious. God tells me, "Have no anxiety about anything, but by prayer and supplication make your requests known to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phillipians).

So...as we mark time, may we continue to give God our worries, our fears, and our praise. Happy New Year, Dear Reader! May your time be blessed in the presence of God.