The Tornado: One Year Later
A reflection on what have been the most chaotic 365 days of my life.
Last night I waited up until about 1:30 a.m., keenly aware that this time a year ago, I was hunkered down in my basement as an EF-3 tornado ripped through our neighborhood. Just 365 days later, all was calm, and I was able to go to sleep peacefully and wake up to a normal day.
A lot has changed in a year.
Our community and state have come a long way, but the physical and emotional recovery from the tornadoes that struck western Kentucky last year will take years. Today we celebrate the restoration God has done in our lives and our community the past 365 days, and we are grateful to everyone who helped us navigate this difficult season of life and get back in our home.
As of this weekend — almost a year on the dot — we put the finishing touches on the rebuild of our home. At least part of this season of our lives has finally come to a close, though we know we will love with the emotions the rest of our lives. While we celebrate the progress we’ve seen in our own lives and elsewhere in our community, for many, the healing hasn’t yet begun. Some families were forever changed that night, and we continue to pray for those who lost loved ones.
This won’t be the last difficult season or storm we endure, but as we’ve approached the anniversary, the one word I’ve heard God speaking over me is “peace.” To quote An Ellie Holcomb song: “Got a lot of bad days still coming our way, but it’s sweet ever after.”
So many of you prayed for Emily and me, gave of your time and your money, and simply opened your doors for us. We cannot thank you enough.
Here’s a video I made to recap this past year, from destruction to restoration. Click the post to watch.
As an aside, the song used in the video, “Find You Here” by Ellie Holcomb, sort of became my anthem this past year. It’s full of truth about God meeting us in the middle of our hardest circumstances and surrounding us with a peace that is beyond human comprehension.
“I didn't know I'd find You here in the middle of my deepest fear, but You were drawing near. You were overwhelming me with peace.”
Ellie wrote this song based on Philippians 4:4-7. This peace that Paul writes about here is calm that exhibits itself in the most trying of circumstances.
In Greek, the word is "Epieikes." It's a peace we can have only through the finished work of Christ on the cross. It felt fitting to get that tattooed on my arm, forever a reminder that God is with us, even in our hardest moments.