Dear Selma.

Having friends who live in the 22nd state, I hear a lot of talk regarding the local happenings and Selma has been on the minds and hearts of many Alabamians this year. Driving through, I saw why.

Sometimes things get destroyed. Sometimes those things get rebuilt; new and improved. Sometimes it takes a little longer to rebuild; more than one might imagine. This was precisely my thought as I drove through the tornado damaged Selma. It had been months since the tornado had torn a gaping hole through the city and some things had recovered while others were still in disarray.

On one street, the sights pulled my hands to my mouth to quiet my breathing. Houses partially ripped open with their contents still in place and exposed for all to see. Trees with their tops that looked like they got processed through a giant meat shredder, not a limb nor a leaf held on. Debris piled higher than my car. Months have passed and still there were no signs of recovery for this street.

One street over, people were busy rebuilding structures and shoveling dirt into holes where trees once stood. Chainsaws buzzed. Repainting. Repairing. Hammers swung, tap, tap, tap. Even with all the movement, there were plenty of boarded up windows and tarped roofs to remind passerby’s that something awful happened here that day.

A well known cemetery known for their old pecan trees, lost them all. A loss that will be felt for many years to come and one that only time can repair. There will be generations that will never see the trees that stood watch over the concrete monuments of their loved ones or feel the coolness of shade as they stop by for a visit.

I drove to Selma for the desire of obtaining famous chicken swirls . I had the pleasure of eating one about six years ago and now I have a hankering for them often. If ever I am in the vicinity of Alabama, I dare defend my right to stop in and patronize. It was on that drive to Mark’s Mart that I encountered the ruins of the January tornado. It began as a depressing drive through the wreckage but ended with an overwhelming hope for this place of great history (not to mention a cooler full of chicken swirls).

A storm can destroy a lot. It can keep you tired for a while as you try to put things back together. It can have an impact on your health and your mental well-being. It can cause you to worry more about the future. It can be devastating to your finances. Storms can cause you to relive tragedy. But listen and hear me dear Selma…a storm cannot destroy your heart and I saw proof of that on my drive through your town.

Community helping community. Neighborhood streets busy with helpers; long after the onset of the support that arrives in the immediacy of tragedy. Life seemed to be going on for most folks. Those people that are stuck…well, you will see them rise soon. I feel it. I know it. That’s the steadiness of Selma.

Thank you, Selma, for reminding me that rebuilding takes time, endurance, and perseverance. I've got things that I am rebuilding, too.

Dear Selma, rebuilding is hard but thank you for renewing the hope that the Lord our God will strengthen and rebuild your ruins and when He does, your people will be known as the Repairers of Broken Walls and the Restorers of Streets with Dwellings (Isaiah 58). I feel it. I know it. That’s the steadiness of the Lord.

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