Three Days Before Black Friday . . . . Perspective

On Sunday, September 4, 2011, a series of devastating wildfires broke out across central Texas. Strong winds and the already drought-stricken landscape made for a perfect storm of wildfires that had plenty of fuel to burn uncontrollably for the better part of a week. At one point in the week, over sixty fires were burning statewide. The losses of life, property and homes were more than most of us who live in the area could get our brains around. It was a tragic first for central Texas.

Forty homes were lost in the affluent Steiner Ranch area just west of our church. Two of the families that lost their homes attend our church. Several others in our church had their homes badly damaged by the fires. Residents in Steiner and the other areas only had a few minute of warning before they were forced to flee the approaching flames. Some had less than a minute. They had to grab what they could and then run for their lives.

The first night of the fires our church parking lot and a nearby high school gym were filled with hundreds of people—adults and children, many smelling like smoke, and their pets. They literally only had time to gather the family and their pets. Some didn’t have time to get their pets. They escaped with literally their loved ones and the clothes on their backs.

So ask yourself—if you only had thirty seconds to grab whatever you could in your home before it was burned to the ground by fire, what would you take? When you answer that question you’ll be right at the center of what having enough really means.

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