When natural disaster inevitably strikes, my job takes me into the chaos and destruction that most people choose to evacuate and avoid. I’ve been working for a federal disaster relief agency for six years now and the crushing reality of disaster still devastates me. Somedays, I wonder why God called me into a job that’s physically, emotionally, and spiritually so hard and heavy. I live in hotels for months at a time, which keeps me away from my family for most of the year. I stay prepared to go wherever disaster strikes with little to no warning in advance. I work with complex logistics in high stakes, timely situations. Making a mistake is not an option, as lives depend on the work I do. I serve people who are suffering, grieving what’s been lost, and facing the future without hope. In those moments I ask God, “why?,” He reminds me of Jesus’ command in Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Following Jesus’ example encourages and challenges me on the hard days. Jesus pursued the people that most avoided, like the demon-possessed man in Mark 5, and the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8. Jesus traveled from city to village, leaving His family and hometown, to love, serve, teach, and heal. He was the ultimate disaster relief plan, through His death on the Cross that defeated the grave, and His resurrection three days later that offered salvation to all who believe. From an… Read More