My 4-year-old son’s painting of “God’s Creation.” The red shapes on the left side and top right corner are fires in the mountains and the black strokes across the sides and top are smoke.
"I will punish you as your deeds deserve," declares the Lord. "I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you."
Jeremiah 21:14
Does anyone else think we're being punished right now? For most of us who are living in California, Oregon, and Washington, it certainly feels that way. Global pandemic, national racial injustice, and statewide fires. The fires raging all across the West Coast are truly starting to feel apocalyptic. We were told at the beginning of the year that we cannot socialize indoors. Now because of the dense smoke, we cannot even socialize outdoors anymore. Unfortunately, a lot of this is our own doing. These horrific fires are decades in the making as a direct result of global warming. The racial injustices that are happening across the nation are nothing new; they're just now being exposed. 2020 is just getting worse and worse. Perhaps it's not so much of a punishment but a reckoning. Yes, God is our Protector and Provider, but He also does not let our evil deeds go unpunished. While it may not feel like it, a loving Father disciplines whom He loves. It's a harsh reminder for human beings to be good stewards of our neighbors and good stewards of the earth.
