The Critical Life Lesson I Learned from Hurricane Sally

By Karla Hardin, MS LPC

When we moved to our coastal town in Alabama that was only 45 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico, we knew that our natural disaster threat was hurricanes. In our seven years here we had seen a few Cat 1’s and tropical storms but for the most part we have been fortunate to escape what has always been a real threat to people who live in ocean-based regions.

So, when Sally, who had been predicted as a Cat 1, arrived in the middle of the night six miles less than a Cat 3 – none of us were prepared to what we would wake up to.

There aren’t words to describe the power of wind and water. Hundred-year-old trees strewn in every direction, some hitting homes, cars and businesses to the point that our familiar landscapes looked barren and clearly changed forever.

With no power, internet and spotty cell service, we all headed to our streets to join with neighbors to try to take it all in.

As a counselor, I understand when we are not prepared for overwhelming realities we go into shock and denial. “This can’t really be..” “Surely this isn’t real..”

But what we don’t often talk about is how these events impact our fundamental view of safety.

For you and I to function at our very best every day - it is critical that we feel safe.

Our brains are always unconsciously scanning for anything that could jeopardize our safety. We feel alerted if we end up on a desolate street and we don’t relax until we are off of it! We are aware if people around us are posing a threat by their actions and we quickly get out of their way.

Our first concern in life is SAFETY

But what do we do when we can’t control nature, people, governments and things around us? How can we find a way to feel safe when we can’t control the unexpected?

I believe how you answer this question will define the joy, fulfillment and freedom from fear you experience in your day to day life.

The real question is where do you find power when you are powerless?

Because when we feel powerless, we move to fear. When we are fearful, we can’t rest. And when we can’t rest, we can’t experience joy. Without the hope of joy, we cease to be.

With so much uncertainty in our world right now, we have been shaken to our core because we have never felt so powerless and out of control. And the worse part… we don’t see an end to it!

So, where do you go when you feel utterly powerless and afraid?

I want to offer what I believe is the only place to go when we are facing unpredictable and uncontrollable realities in our lives. We must find a stronger foundation than our human selves.

We need a hope and power that gives us the ability to transcend our earth-bound challenges.

We need to touch into our spiritual dimension of ourself. A whole and healthy person is aware, accessing, and nurturing all parts of who they are. These are the people who are living their best life. The four parts of every human are their physical self, their emotional self, their relational self and their spiritual self.

When we neglect or underutilize any part of who we are, we naturally will function below our potential.

Our spiritual self is the source of hope.

We need hope in all of the other areas of our lives. People who do not acknowledge the spiritual dimension are left to “fend for themselves” so to speak. Their lives are not more than the “here and now”.

For the Christian, they draw on the reality of a God who is beyond all of the “here and now” and look to Him for power, comfort and the promise that He is ultimately in control of even our very broken world.

Most people understand that Christ’s death on the cross freed us from the penalty of sin so that the ultimate promise of eternal life is for those who trust in Him.

But what many of us don’t realize is that He also freed us from fear.

Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery.”

We are told to stand firm on this truth and not go back to a life of performance as though everything depended on ourselves. We can daily live securely even in an unsafe world.

Christians who understood this in the bible were Daniel while in the midst of lions, and Stephen as he was being stoned. Then there were believers like Corrie Ten Boom who was in the concentration camp during the Nazi regime said,

“Never afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability that counts.”

Corrie understood that her safety was secure no matter how her story ended.

Hurricane Sally abruptly brought me face to face with all the uncertainties that are in my life and world. I began to feel fear rising as I contemplated all the unknowns and the many things I have no control over.

Then, I realized I have been freed from fear because I belong to the One True Transcendent God. My safety is secure.

I invite you to go to your spiritual self for the answers to your unknowns.

Hope and safety are found outside of our humanity. If you don’t know Christ in a life-saving way, ask someone or find a church to guide you.

If you do know Him, look up and say, “You are worthy of my trust in any and every circumstance.” And determine to stand firm and live in your freedom from fear!

Karla Hardin is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Trauma Specialist for Hardin Life Resources

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