...we pray for a hurricane.

It's a wonder that more people don't hate us. By us I mean Americans and more specifically Christians. There isn't a hurricane go by that the news doesn't have some loon who was "spared" saying that they just "prayed to God" that it would miss them. "Dear God, please spare us, but protect the Mexicans." Last I checked the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

No, I do not want to be hit by a hurricane. I do not want the hassle, the expense or anything else that would come with it. But last I checked no one was making me live near the beach on the Gulf of Mexico, where, rumor has it, hurricanes happen. But how can I ask that God bless me and curse another.

Maybe we should look at it from a different perspective. The United States is much more capable than Mexico of handling a hurricane and its aftermath. Maybe we should thank God for our own blessings. Thank God that we now know they are coming for up to a week in advance. Maybe we should pray that we have elected the right leaders in our cities and state that our city is prepared in the event that one does hit us. Maybe we should pray that the impact of the storm is limited. Maybe, just maybe we pray that "thy will be done."

Like I said, I don't relish the thought of a hurricane, any more than I would relish the thought of cancer or miscarriage or the myriad problems that can happen to a person here on this earth. But what I can do is prepare for what storms may come. I can offer a hand to those who can't. I can leave until the worst of it is over, and when I return I can show a little love to a neighbor who just may need it.

So, God. Ike is in your hands. Send him where you may. May it all be to Your Glory. Amen.