Tremors and Trust

Photo Credit: Chad Kreutzer

It was a little past 4, last evening… The kids were lying down for their nap, and I hopped onto their bed – laptop in tow, reminding them every few minutes that they had to close their eyes in order to sleep. I logged onto Facebook and was surprised to see an inordinate number of status updates regarding the earthquake in South East Asia.

I was so engrossed, that when the bed started shaking, my immediate reaction was that one of the sons was kidding around and shaking the bed. A quick look around convinced me that the kids were all fast asleep. The bed shook again. With a start, I realized it was a tremor. My thoughts raced as I hurriedly shot my husband an email. Fear gripped my heart and I pondered what I should do if the situation got worse.

I know I probably overreacted. This was only the second time I had ever felt a tremor. The first time was 11 years ago, during my college days – my friends and I were pretty excited and we thought it was a great experience. But this time around, as a mother, surrounded by 3 little ones fast asleep, fear and dread obscured every other emotion.

I figured that if the quake got worse, I would not have enough time to hustle all the kids out of our first floor apartment. Thoughts focused on the kids’ safety crowded my mind. Should I cover them with pillows? Or gather them to a corner of the room? Will I be able to lug a mattress over us? On reflection, I realize it was almost insane to be thinking of a worst case scenario. But I’m amazed at how easily my mind raced to plan out safety measures to keep the little ones safe.

As I sat paralyzed, wondering what I should do next, I felt another round of tremors. As fear threatened to choke me again, I prayed. I prayed that God would protect us and keep us safe. That nothing would harm my babies. And then I wondered… What about all those people throughout the world who prayed and still lost their lives and their loved ones in natural calamities?

Surprisingly, that thought filled my heart with peace. I knew nothing would happen to those who trusted God, unless it was His will. I remembered this verse from the book of Job in the Bible – “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…” (Job 13:15). It made no sense for me to be afraid, because good or bad; my Father was in control… He was watching over my kids. He continues to care for my family much more than I ever could.

As the quake subsided, by husband called to check on us. He figured, since he was too far away to be of any assistance, he would simply trust God to take care of his family. The simple, unshakable faith of this man I married never ceases to amaze me. How I admire him… I certainly wish I could trust God like he does and not over-think or complicate things :).

So, that was our experience with the earthquake yesterday. I definitely learnt a valuable lesson in trusting God through the tremors. Have you ever felt an earthquake? What was your first reaction?