Disasters that lead to other disasters

More rain in the forecast for southwest British Columbia.

Last week's atmospheric river (a phrase I heard for the first time this year) caused what one local mayor called "catastrophic flooding." Roads washed out, sides of mountains came sliding down in mud and rock, people died, and whole communities were cut off from the rest of the province. Fear and hoarding kicked in, quickly depleting food and gas.

Two more atmospheric rivers are on their way tomorrow and Saturday - smaller than last week's deluge, but still enough for them (and other upcoming weather events) to be labelled "a parade of storms."

Even though last week's unprecedented rainfall was deemed a once-in-100-years situation, certain areas of road have been considered high risk and in danger of washout for many months.

The cause? Last summer's wild fires.

Wild fires endanger an area to future flooding for two reasons. First, hot fire forms a hard, water-repellent crust on soil, which means water runs off instead of being absorbed by the soil. Second, fire destroys trees and other vegetation, the roots of which protect soil from erosion.

So, with no ability to absorb water and no protection from root systems, even a little bit of rain can trigger massive slides and destruction.

Let us be in prayer for affected communities in the upcoming days. Let us also reflect on how this natural truth also applies to our spiritual life.

Consider the "fires" we face in life - traumatic events, illness, relational conflict, life transitions, dry desert valleys. Every time we encounter one of these fires, they have the potential to harden our heart and wither our roots. And if this happens, the result can be catastrophic.

Hard hearts and dead roots mean that even a little bit of difficulty later on can cause our faith to slide away, our joy to be eroded by sorrow, and our heart to be flooded with anxious fear. A parade of storms would be disastrous.

So it is in our best interest to diagnose our spiritual health and, if necessary, shore up areas that are in danger of further damage.

PAUSE and REFLECT: Are you at high risk of spiritual washout? Take a moment to check on the condition of both your heart and your rootedness in Jesus. Has the soil of your heart become hard and unable to absorb (or give) love? Are your roots in Christ strong and healthy, or have they withered over the last months?

Encountering fires in life is inevitable, and it is true to say that these fires have the possibility of causing damage. However, the Scriptures offer good guidance in maintaining the soft hearts and strong roots necessary for spiritual health, helping us avoid the erosion of our faith.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

~ Colossians 2:6-7

What practices helped us grow as new followers of Jesus? Are we still doing them, and are they still producing fruit in our life?

Perhaps we need to return to these practices, or perhaps we need to change them in order to refresh our Rhythms of Life. The important factor is not which practices we do, but the fruit these practices produce.

These Rhythms of Life are even more crucial in fiery times and immediately after.

So once you do your self-assessment of spiritual health, establish the practices necessary to be strong and thankful. The fires of life will still come, but the landscape of our faith will stay healthy, thus protecting us from catastrophic damage.

What is one thing you can do this week to help your roots grow into the love of Jesus?