When the tornadoes hit Alabama last month, it was surreal watching it happen live thousands of miles away. Because I had lived there the past 8 years of my life and because Audra had lived there her entire life, it was hard to believe it was really happening. It was equally hard to see the after-images.

But when the tornado hit Joplin Sunday night, I saw it in a somewhat different light. Because I wasn’t familiar with the landmarks, what hit me hardest was the personal devastation, not the physical devastation. From watching videos and hearing the stories of those who have survived, I have been imagining what it is like to endure and survive an EF4-5 tornado. I can’t imagine the level of fear and chaos during those 30-40 seconds–especially with small children. The ears popping, the deafening wind, the sounds of everything being destroyed coming right at you, people screaming their heads off, the constant pull of the wind on your body–how horrific. I simply can’t believe anyone would have to go through such agony. And today, they’re predicting potentially 50 more tornadoes.

And then you stop to think about the “twisters” that many of us face in the figurative sense. Those times when life really throws a curveball that completely knocks everything off-course. I’m not talking about a little tragedy here or there, but when something happens that seems to totally destroy everything in our life up to that point. It is hard to accept that God allows such horrific and devastating things to happen to humans. It is hard as a friend to know what to say in response. I think as a pastor there is even more weight as to how you should respond.

What would I do if something similar happened to me? I think the only way I could cope with it is reminding myself that this is not my home. While I don’t think that would ease the pain, it would hopefully remind me that everything up to this point in my life has been focused not on making a good life for myself here on earth, but on the promise of eternity. Even though it is sometimes almost impossible to believe it, circumstances in this life do not change that promise. Yet I see that very little of my life up to this point is focused on the promise of eternity–much of it has its focus on bettering my life right now. I think the best hedge against the devastating power of life’s tragedies is for me right now to devote less of my time, energy, money and passion on my current situation and devote more toward my real home.

My real home is a place where neither moth nor rust–nor tornadoes–can destroy. I need to keep this in focus, even (and perhaps especially) when life’s twisters seem nowhere around.