June 2002: Ash rained down and the horizon was a dusty
orange. As a kid, it was a curious thing to catch charred bits in your
hands as one would a snowflake, but it was also terrifying. It meant the
fire was close, that there was the possibility, however remote, that your
entire life could go up in flames. To escape the thick, suffocating haze
of the approaching Hayman fire, we voluntarily evacuated.
Perhaps it is because of this elementary school experience, or
maybe it is because my native state continues to experience major fires during
the summer, some of which strike close to my parents' home, but my
heart aches for all those who have been affected by the Fort McMurray fire.
As of Wednesday (May 25th), the fire has consumed over 2,000 square miles
in two Canadian provinces and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. Weather
conditions there continue to contribute to the spread of the fire and there
appears to be no end in sight. 88,000 residents of Fort McMurray and
surrounding areas were evacuated. As far as I know, no one has been
allowed to return, although if all goes well, Fort McMurray is scheduled for
re-entry in early June.
I don't have TV and I don't frequent news sites. Most of
the major news stories I am aware of I know about because of social media.
With both the Belgium and Paris attacks, information was plastered across
Facebook and people changed their profile pics to show solidarity with those
communities that were impacted. Since the Fort McMurray fire made
international news, there has been little to no mention of the ongoing
situation. A quick look at what is trending on Facebook reveals that
election politics are among the top most popular topics. The suffering of
88,000 people, some who watched their homes burn, has been largely
forgotten.
It's fascinating: tragic, short-lived events, where some
people lost their lives at the hands of a few evil men, are treated as more
important than developing natural disasters that impact thousands. Why
does one deserve more attention and recognition than another?
Both types of events, natural disaster and man-instigated
violence, are consequences of the fall. God did not create the world for
such devastation. In Genesis, He calls His creation good, but men
rebelled and brought destruction. Men continue to seek out evil and
nature continues to bear fruit of a broke world. Neither can rebuild what
is destroyed. And yet while we remained broken, victims of ourselves and
natural phenomena, Christ came to mend and rebuild, to redeem us from our
rebellion. Through His death, we have been given life.
While I mourn with those who have lost loved ones and I weep with
those who have no home to return to, I also pray that God may grant them
strength to face their earthly sorrows and comfort in the salvation won by
Christ and given in Word and Sacrament.
