reflections from my first tornado

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about my family experiencing the effects of a multi-vortex Tornado. It was on Tuesday May 24^th 2011 that an F5 Tornado touched down in Oklahoma. I received a text from someone asking me to pray for her aunt who lives in Oklahoma, because a Tornado just hit ground on the I-40. This text caused me to immediately call my mom to see if she was okay, because she and my dad just moved out to Oklahoma 2 months ago to stay with family for a while. 

So I immediately called her and a recording came on the line saying, “The number you are dialing has been disconnected or is no longer in service.” I thought to myself, “Oh no my mom has been swept away!” So I called back again, and thank God she finally answered. She had just picked up my 6 year-old-nephew at school, and she and my dad were heading down to the basement of the school. I asked her if they were near the I-40, and she said yes, it is very close to where they are. And for the next hour I stayed on the phone with her, praying with her and for her, and trying to encourage her. The thunder and lightning that was taking place around them was severe and very intense. At one point towards the end of this ordeal, she told me the lights and electricity had just gone out at the school, and now they were sitting in the darkness of the school basement. Prior to the lights going off you could hear lots of talking in the background, the radio broadcaster giving updates on where the tornado was, Tornado sirens blasting, and there was an air of noisy nervousness all around. But the moment that my mom informed me that the lights had gone off, all of a sudden an eerie silence filled the air, and the only thing I could hear was the Tornado Siren’s and the thunder storm.

We both had a sinking feeling that the Tornado was quickly approaching, and would soon be upon them. Every minute seemed like an hour as we waited for this storm to end, when finally they received news that it had passed by them. It was a big sigh of relief for all of us. It turns out that this Multivortex Twister, which was over a half-mile in width, missed them by only 1 block, and did an L turn 2 blocks past them that would have leveled them if it would have turned 2 blocks earlier.

Thinking back to that extremely stressful and emotionally exhausting phone call with my mom as I sat on the phone with her during one of natures most destructive forces, and life’s most devastating events, I couldn’t help but think about how that tornado experience has many similarities to the effects that sin has upon a persons life when it overtakes them.

Sin is like a tornado in our lives, which has the potential to destroy us. When a person is trapped in the bondage of sin, they are plagued with fear. They are plagued by guilt. They are overcome with depression, and spiritual darkness, and they live in complete isolation of others.

And just like a tornado that has finished running its course has ruined everything in its path, destroyed homes, taken lives, and created years of difficult work for people to rebuild their lives, so too does a person who allows sin to rule their lives, and lead them into the destructive path that it creates for them.

And maybe today, you are feeling as if your spiritual life has been destroyed by the devastating effects of sins power over you, or because of its power over someone close to you. Maybe you are feeling as if you have gotten way off course in your spiritual journey with God, due to the choices you have been making or because of the choices you have made long ago that you are still feeling the effects of. Maybe you are feeling as if a tornado of sin has you trapped in the center of its powerful vortex, and it is impossible for you to escape.

If you find yourself in this place today, I want to encourage you to pay close attention to what the Word of God says in 1 John 5:18. The Bible tells us in 1 John 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

When the Bible tells us that "whoever is born of God does not sin", it is not referring to being "perfect" as Christians. It is telling us that a Christian who has been born-again, will not habitually sin. This verse also informs us of a key element to protecting ourselves from sin. We know that it is crucial to be in prayer as Christians, and to be reading the bible daily, and allowing God to grow us and strengthen us. However, there is one more key to living victoriously as Christians. This verse tells us that we must “keep” ourselves protected from sin. The Greek word for “keep” here is “tereo” and means, “To watch over in order to protect. To Guard oneself.” The Bible tells us right here that in order to protect ourselves from the dangers and destruction that sin brings to our lives, we have to be alert, and guard ourselves, and put up protective boundary markers.

Protecting ourselves from sin by putting up immoveable boundary markers, can be a lot like protecting ourselves from tornados. The News was warning everyone. The Police were warning everyone. The Tornado Sirens warning everyone. And it would have been absolutely ludicrous for anyone to ignore all of the warning signs, and go about their normal every day routine as if there was nothing to worry about. It would have been completely insane not to go down into an underground shelter for protection and stay as far away as possible from that deadly monster.

And so too would it be absolutely ludicrous for us as Christians not to put up protective boundary markers in our lives to help shield us from the vicious and powerful devastation that sin causes in our lives. However, it is crucial for us to remember, that protective boundary markers will only work if you keep them up and leave them up.


I would like to leave you with one last word of warning, and encouragement from the Word of God. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13; "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed (be on guard) lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Lord bless you, and be on guard!