Three minutes is really a long time. On May 12 at 2:38 in the afternoon we were sitting at a noodle shop in Chengdu and our table started moving. My first thought was that my wife had jarred the table, or had bumped the table leg. But, as I looked around I noticed that other things were moving. The faces of our servers looked disturbed. The canopy over our head was swaying and there were noises that were different than normal… This all was seen and sensed in the first ten seconds….
As time moved forward it became apparent that it was best for us to follow other diners out into the street. Voices now could be heard containing anxiety. In the midst of the street we noticed visibly that the ground was moving. The blacktopped street was actually visibly moving in a noticeable wave. A car parked along the curb was bouncing up and down. Power polls and electric lines were swaying. A rumble from the ground was now audible. We’ve now passed thirty seconds….
The next period of time was filled with seeing faces as people in all different forms of dress – business suits, dressing gowns, skivvies, bathrobes, T-shirts, shorts, old dresses, western shirts, and traditional clothing – started pouring out into the midst of the street where we were standing. Most faces displayed fear and anxiety and it was increasing as the moments passed. More and more people made their way out to the street. In a very short period of time lots of people had joined us in the middle of the street. Cars, bikes, buses were all stopped. Drivers of the vehicles were standing with their doors open looking. High rise apartment houses, hospital clinics, and business offices all emptied out onto the street. Some around us were holding steady their friend’s “I-V” bottle as they moved out from a health clinic nearby. Sixty seconds had passed….
The next two minutes, which passed by very slowly, were filled with a collective unbelief, anxiety, fear and thoughts like “what would come next?” From that point, we fast-forward this memory tape passing countless stories of pain, hurt, death and survival, as well as awesome displays of courage. So many people lost are now displaced and there exists so much uncertainty – amplified by the numerous unpredictable aftershocks.
As a week passes by we receive notice that the government has called the whole nation to pause from all the busyness of life to honor and reflect, in solemn silence and respect, on all that has transpired. Now begins a time of marshaling the courage to hope. China (and many friends all over the globe) stand still for three minutes a week later in honor of all that has occurred in Sichuan Province. The great thing in all this is that in spite of the impossible situation a reason for hope exists! The world has turned its focus on a tremendous tragedy. From the worlds gaze comes an out-flowing of desire to help and aide China as she opens her arms to receive assistance. Could China have met the need herself…. Yes! But, in great wisdom China shared the opportunity with others from around the world. Crisis brings us together, overlooking our differences, bridging our different approaches, uniting us as we link arms to jointly meet a terrific need. Yet, as strong as we are – even standing together – it cannot compare to the awesome power of God who is the maker of all things.
A section from the bible comes to mind:
God is our strong refuge; he is truly our helper in times of trouble. For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes, and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, when its waves crash and foam, and the mountains shake before the surging sea. (Selah)
Psalms 46: 1-3
Reflecting now on all that has transpired over the past month, one can’t help, but pause and reflect on the amazing force that we have experienced. Even as strong as we are, even as we stand together united in a common cause there still stands One with whom we all have to acknowledge is supreme. There is something that is bigger than us! In the face of the tragedy, which has been endured, there now lays before us the outward rebuilding need – a renewed internal peace is required. The outward rebuilding requires an inward stability such can only be found when God becomes our refuge!
