A few thoughts from Rev. Caren Bigelow Morgan

It does something to a person…

Last week, the Trustees trimmed the trees at the parsonage.

Sunday morning, my church came forward and laid hands on me to pray for me because I was feeling stressed.

Sunday afternoon, I attended a district meeting for my church’s denomination. There I casually picked up a poster for my church about the United Methodist Church’s disaster response teams.

Sunday night, a tornado ripped the steeple from my church roof, downed power lines, and scattered my roof across the yard like scrap paper. Debris wrapped around the handrails. Water poured from the ceiling of the John Wesley classroom and cascaded down the walls of the beautiful sanctuary. A gaping hole formed in the church parking lot.

Providence. It’s a word we don’t use much anymore. It’s the only word that keeps my heart still and my mind at peace as I navigate these stress-filled days.

My home, family and belongings are safe because the trees were just trimmed. That’s Providence.

I have had courage and strength way beyond my natural abilities because my church covered me in prayer. That’s Providence.

The Disaster Response Team of the United Methodist Church into which I was baptized in 1958, and to which I pledged my life as a pastor in 1985, has provided expert guidance, loving support, and boots-on-the ground assistance since Sunday night. That’s Providence.

I have always known that God is there in the hard times. I have always believed that trials serve to increase our faith and remind us of our dependence on God and each other. Still, I am amazed at the Providence of God that is always there, always on time, and always abundant and grace-filled. I don’t know why it still takes me by surprise. Because it is always there. I pray that I will begin to more frequently and regularly recognize the hand of Providence in my life. I pray for all those who have suffered from the tornadoes that ripped through our town. I pray that we all thank God for Providence that will sustain us all through this season of difficulty.

Rev. Caren Bigelow Morgan – Pastor
Cedar Valley & Mount Hermon UMCs