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News, Events & Commentary

By Rev. Robert Hoekstra, Chaplain

AUGUST 2008 NOTES

The time we discover what is really important in our lives often is when we face a crisis. When a person faces a health crisis, they often say that what is truly important is not the grandiose things in life but the simpler things. Things such as basic health, friends and family are that which we so often take for granted, but are the things we truly cherish most.

In our current economic climate, people are discovering that going back to the simpler things in life brings great joy. Time spent at home with those closest becomes a treasured time. Even in our walk with God, the simple and quiet times are the ones we often cherish most.

Columnist Susan Taylor tells this story of lessons learned from experiencing a California earthquake. She was in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she tumbled from her bed. She managed to stand underneath an arched doorway in her hall and watched in horror as her whole home literally tumbled down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of rubble. She lost everything -- every button, every dish, her automobile, every stitch of clothing.

Susan huddled, scared and crying, in the darkness of her house. It was very early in the morning and the sun had not yet risen. She began to call out for help. Crying and calling until she was exhausted. Then she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers rather than calling out. She grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive! She was unhurt except for cuts and bruises. She may have lost everything else, but not her life!

As she thought about her situation, she was flooded with a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness unlike anything she had ever known. That experience permanently changed her life. In the deepest part of her being, Susan knew she had nothing to fear whether or not she was ever rescued. For the first time, she realized that her true security lay deep within and did not depend upon anything material -- even her physical safety!

Later, she heard sirens and voices of people calling out to her. They had found her. And this is what she says: "Before the quake I had all the trappings of success, but my life was out of balance. I wasn't happy because I was clinging to things in my life and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship -- I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along." She adds, "There's a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us. Now, each day of my life I take time to sit in silence and allow God to be God in me." 1

1 Taylor, Susan L. Lessons in Living. New York: Random House – Anchor Books, 1995.    

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