Hellooooo? Is anyone out there? We survived Irma. Hallelujah. Praise Jesus.

I strive to establish myself as a faith based business, so every once in a while, I take time to recharge, reboot, and after I'm done filling myself up, I begin to fill all my outlets up with my renewed energy. In short, this is a faith based post, not photography one. :)

Anywhoo, who else was spooked by the media this time around? I understand that Irma was a serious hurricane. She was unpredictable so they had to be extreme in order to inform folks of the impending danger. But as time went on, I felt as though some words used and messages conveyed were unnecessary. Depending on which station you flipped to, you would hear a variety of alarms:

"Get out now."

"Run!"

"People are going to die."

"This storm is going to be catastrophic!"

Granted, yes, much damage was done to the islands south of FL, and the keys. Perhaps some lives were saved due to the urgency of their messages. So perhaps their threats weren't all in vain.

I realized how much fear was planted into the minds of people through choice words and it reminded me of the type of feelings I plant with my words and actions. I got spooked on Tuesday before the storm and found myself rushing around, trying to ensure or change plans that were already set and in place. I was scrambling. Thankfully with some prayer I came back around again.

During our stay at our friend's house (Shout out to Victor and Melissia for letting us practically live with you during this storm! We love you! :D), we had some talks about what kind of things that God revealed to us through Irma.

Before and during writing and speaking these truths, it was really hard to write them without the anxiety of upsetting someone who lost everything or someone they loved due to Irma. We all know the danger of sorrow manipulating our words. I don't want for someone to think I believe that God killed their loved one. Or that I'm saying "suck it up, it was for the better." Not in the least. I actually don't know whether or not a storm like this and it's results are straight from the Hand of God. Plain and simple, I just don't know. I'm not saying that because I "don't know if I believe it", I'm saying straight up, I don't know if that's the truth. I do know that in the end times there will be natural disasters and turmoil in the Earth. But is that Irma? This kind of accusation and question prompts my response to say, I don't know. And I'm ok with that. We aren't supposed to know everything. Flawed response due to incomplete and fallible theology? Nope. Believer or not, I don't have all the answers. No one does.

So, without further delay, here are some thoughts, revelations, and lessons I learned from going through Hurricane Irma. Grace and Mercy.

Hurricane Irma helped us set aside the multitudes of divisive mindsets in order to band together just to survive. Racial, religious, sexist, political, and personal divisions were thrown out the window because our well-being was threatened. For a few days, we were unified.
Someone, somewhere, called out to Jesus and He answered.
Someone, somewhere, turned back to Jesus because of that answered prayer, and they were saved.
My dad followed an old wives tale one time. It stated that if you beat a barren tree, it will again bear fruit. He took a 2x4 to a citrus tree in our yard and the next year, the branches touched the ground, heavy with fruit. Perhaps our crops will flourish next year as a direct result of the beating of Irma.
In the same spirit as the tree beating story above, perhaps the stress, anxiety, and fear the prompted our cries to the Lord will cause us to later grow some fruits of the spirit. patience, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, and peace.
After two days in the darkness of a boarded up house with limited activities, I was going stir-fry crazy! I felt mully-grubby, soggy, and needed some sun and fresh air! I went for a run when blue skies and the sunrise broke yesterday and IT CHANGED MY LIFE. I just wanted to get out. So, I learned that you need sunlight in your life. Seriously. Get out and play. Ya lookin' ashy, girl.
In the same spirit as the darkness story above, our spirits need to have healthy seasons of light and darkness. You can not stay in the darkness with unhealthy body habits, mental habits, or emotional habits. Think about the things that can cause depression: a stagnant lifestyle of TV and couch-potato-ness, filling your mind with dark imagery and themes, or letting your mind wander into pessimistic, carnal, angry, or ungrateful territories. We need some light! Think like a child (cause we are children of God!). Exercise, watch a family-friendly movie, go hang out with a friend in a public place, start a gratitude journal or spend a week of only posting the things you are grateful for online and nothing else. Anyyyythinggggg!!! Let the light in!! Open up and let there be light! *angelic chorus*

What about you? Have you had any revelations from the storm? Please share in the comments below!

I'm so glad Irma is gone. Aren't you?