....and so it pours.

I didn't take this picture,
just to let you know,
I cheated this time.
But I wanted this post to focus on the recent fires across Midwest City,
Choctaw,
and wherever else.
My dad and I drove around the outskirts of MWC today in my car.
We drove past the fire damage in a lot of the woodland areas.
There were areas where,
at one time,

you couldn't see five feet into it,
because of all of the trees and what not.
Now there's literally nothing there.
a bunch of skinny sticks coming out of the ground,
and black ash everywhere.
This really wasn't that bad to me,
I mean it sucks that all of those trees are gone,
but it didn't hit my core or anything.
but...

...then we drove to where some of the homes were had burned down in local neighborhoods.
It was pretty insane.
Some houses were burned in rows.
2,
3,
4?
But every now and then you catch a street where it's,
house... house... ashes... house house house.

"Wait,
what is that?
The fire doesn't even touch their house,
but mine is totally gone?"

That would be my reaction.
I might even go as far to try and question God's will.
Something like,

"What did I do?
Did I make you mad this week?
Is it because I chose not to read,
Or pray,
or something??
Didn't I do what I was asked?
I don't deserve this!"

I find myself,
slipping into thoughts like these once in a while.
Every now and then,
when something goes downward for me,
I'll look up,
and ask why.
Do you guys do that?
Sometimes I'll even catch myself not sinning,
just so God will allow me to have a good time at church,
or so that He won't rain on my parade during the day or something.
But that's not really what God's about.

You remember the points you used to get,
in school,
in church,
whatever,
when you were a kid?
Like,
"do this right,
something awesome happens to you.
do it wrong,
and you get a butt-whoopin'
along with getting a horrible day.
go!"
This whole thing jacked us up, man.
Now our God is a God of works.
We don't care about knowing God,
we just want to be close enough to him so that if suffering comes our way,
we think we're chill because we read our bible,
or because we prayed.
Then,
if something bad happens to us,
we sometimes think that we must've done something to make Him angry.
"Oh man, God must hate me,
my life has sucked for the past few months.
He hates me,
I don't know what I did,
but He's not happy about it."
Do you remember that God is love,
and Love keeps no record of wrong?

Now this is true,
you try to grow closer to God,
you might have some tools to fight off the basics of trouble,
but life will still sting you sometime.
You won't be able to just stand up right after you've taken a spill.
Life will take you out sometimes.
God provides a hope,
and a comfort.
My heart goes out to those who lost family members,
home,
pets,
anything else,
to the fire.
God provides a rain.
He is not cursing you.
You are not getting a cold shoulder from our creator.
Whoever you are,
I have no idea what kind of anguish you're going through,
and I'm sorry if I presented this post as if I did.
I meant nothing by it,
because I'm not strong,
my faith is worthless,
but someday,
whenever life tackles everything I have lived for,
for so long,
I want to look up at God,
and not ask,

"What'd I do?"

but I want to look up at God,
and ask,

"What are You going to do?"

Fully believing in his will.

The rain's on it's way to put out those burning flames.
Look for it.
God has nothing but love for you.
He has purpose for you.
Even if you think you've lost it all.
He doesn't need anything of this world to work His will in you.