Lessons from an Earthquake

For the last while I have been reminded again and again that God doesn't exalt the strong, but rather the weak...that I shouldn't be afraid of weakness. I've heard this for years, and it sounds like an interesting idea, but I confess that at the bottom of my heart, it makes no sense. No matter what I do, I still feel threatened in the face of very strong people who have the ability to do what they want with me, so to speak.

The other day I was looking at pictures that a friend took of Armenia, the city most affected by the earthquake and the whole idea began to make more sense. What struck me from the pictures is that all of the tall, impressive buildings ended up completely flattened, while many of the houses built of the most humble material remained standing, practically unharmed. And so I see that the important thing is not what we look like and whether we tower as high as others, but rather, what happens to us when the crises of life shake all of our foundations.

by Bonnie Klassen