Tennessee Flood Waters

You've probably seen the intense flooding that Nashville and much of Tennessee have experienced recently. First, it was amazing to actually watch nearby as a "normal" creek filled an entire flood plain. As I watched, you could see debris and miscellaneous things floating by in the water. Some neighbors became concerned as the water covered the nearby bridge and road - and then approached their back doors. Those waters never made it to the door over the two days that the creek became a river.

But, then the wider picture comes to view. Others were not so lucky. You move up to an aerial view or to a local reporter on the local news and you see the power and destruction that the water could cause. Houses and commercial buildings and vehicles submerged in the water. Even the tragic loss of life, in some cases.

It's easy at first to just see the local events (the creek becoming a river) and watch in amazement. Then, as you expand your view beyond your tiny micro section of the event, you see that it was much more than amazing. It brought suffering and hardship and trouble. It brought loss and fear and yearning for drier times.

But, in the midst of that, you also saw hope and relief and neighbors. I didn't see a single story (in the several days of non-stop news) where anyone complained about the loss of their stuff. In fact, most seemed to realize that when it comes to life and death, the stuff doesn't matter. There were not any scenes of people rescuing their TV or their sofa. Only photos and valuable papers and things that couldn't be replaced. Although there were stories of folks who had very recently bought their "dream house", they weren't complaining about the loss of the house.

Many people experienced some very difficult times. But, they have realized that the stuff doesn't matter. It's the people who matter.