THE STRENGTH OF THE PROSPEROUS MIND

by Carol Tebo

How would you react if, in a few terrifying minutes, what you had worked for all your life was scattered, literally, in the wind?  Would you thank God?  If family members or friends were taken from you, could you affirm that God would bring good out of your loss?  As you were standing in the middle of the rubble that was once your home, could you see only what was lovely and true?  If you had nothing left, would you be concerned about what you could do for your neighbor or for me?

On April 8 of this year, an F-5 tornado, with winds exceeding 300 miles per hour, decimated numerous communities in the Birmingham, Alabama, area.  My husband and I arrived in our trailer eight days later and spent three weeks helping with the primary clean-up, then another three weeks helping a four-generation family to begin rebuilding their homes and lives.  What we observed in these blue collar, Bible belt communities were many profound lessons in what it means to possess deep spiritual well-being--a prosperity consciousness.

It probably is not as unusual as it may appear for demonstrations of prosperity thinking to evidence themselves in such an unlikely setting and circumstances.  As Rudyard Kipling challenges us in his poem "If," only when put to the test will we know, "If we can meet with Triumph and Disaster/ And treat those two impostors just the same."

The apostle Paul advises us "Give thanks in all circumstances" (I Thess. 5:18).  In so doing, we will be able to meet all circumstances with equanimity.  A wise old man said to me, as he stood amidst his ruins, "That's life.  It gives and it takes away."  There was no judgment or condemnation--simply acceptance.  A woman said, "We'll rebuild.  I'm not whining.  It doesn't change anything."  How much easier it is to move forward in hope when we don't judge events.

The equanimity with which the tornado victims met their disaster was marvelous, inspiring, and affirming. It allowed them to be thankful for even the tiniest of miracles.  The daughter, whose elderly parents were two of the storm's 34 fatalities, referred to the few small personal items of theirs which she salvaged as "little gifts from God."  Others squealed with joy and remembrance when family photos were found.  But most of all, people were thankful for how many of them had miraculously survived--for the continued gift of life.

To truly live prosperously, to have inner peace when, from outward appearances there seems to be no earthly cause for it, requires an awareness of where one's real treasure lies. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:19)  When one lady was asked how she could be so cheerful and upbeat, she said, "We're here, aren't we?  The things can be replaced!"  Standing in front of her leveled high school as her class prepared for their graduation ceremony in a cleared area behind the school, one senior shared that she "was not going to have her senior year remembered for one mean wind. I realize family and friends are what you have got.  Personal possessions don't matter."  She made a decision to become a nurse while finishing school in a make-shift classroom.

For those whose faith was already strong, there was no doubt that God's love would sustain them. There was no railing against God--"Why me?"  Instead, they found strength and hope in believing that "in all things (even tornadoes) God works for the good of those who love him." (Rom. 8:28) They expressed confidence that lessons would be learned, their communities and churches  would be strengthened, and God's purposes advanced through what they were suffering.  The most poignant expression came from a young father, paralyzed and lying on a gurney next to his eight-year-old son who was losing his hold on life.  Tearfully, the father said before all, "Even in this darkest time, I know that God will find a way to bring good from this."

The faithful chose to dwell on what was lovely and true. (Phil. 4:8)  Thus, they were able to be uplifted by the many kindnesses and help of friends and strangers, as they put one foot in front of the other to clean up and rebuild.  A lady told me she had trouble falling asleep at night because she was so overwhelmed by how many people had helped her.

Those whose faith was dormant or who had placed it in their earthly treasures, saw clearly in just a few minutes that their "things" had no lasting value.  The outpouring of unconditional love and concrete support they received caused powerful truths to come crashing through: "What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4:18) As one woman expressed to the pastor who had been so instrumental in providing help for her, "I had lost all hope.  I had forgotten how to love.  My heart was cold as stone.  And then the tornado came.  I lost everything and I cried out to God for help.  And you came.  The world was lifted off my shoulders.  You have shown me how to love again.  I finally have peace in my heart."  God does use all circumstances to help heal and strip away the illusions of the world!

A prosperity consciousness must also include an understanding of the connectedness, the interdependency of all of us.  In these communities of close-knit families and self-sufficient, hard-working people, it was the first time many had had to accept help from neighbors and "outsiders."  Some people found it hard to understand why we would come here to help them. I answered that we are all part of one body and family in Christ, and family members help each other.  We prosper only when we consider each other's needs as important as our own.  The tornado dramatically drove home this truth.  Within the communities themselves, racial, economic and doctrinal differences were set aside as people pulled together as one family.  Over fifty faith and service organizations joined forces to coordinate the long-term recovery effort.

From outside the area, hundreds of individuals, service organizations, and church groups arrived to serve their "neighbors" in need.  Forty or so highly-trained young men from ALERT (Air, Land Emergency Resource Team), a Christian organization based in the upper peninsula of Michigan, provided not only brawn in significantly contributing to the heavy clean-up tasks, but heart, as they sang inspirational hymns before each meal.  Members of a congregation in California raised the money and came to rebuild a church that was destroyed.  And the Cranston Heights, Deleware, Fire Department airlifted a fire engine to the West Concord Department which lost its station and an engine. 

Giving and receiving are inseparable in prosperity thinking. (Luke 6:38)  Over a half million dollars were donated from near and afar.  Churches and individuals set aside their own agendas and needs, including church and home repairs, to give their time and resources.  Many churches acted as disaster relief centers, serving thousands of meals, distributing food and household goods, and coordinating the volunteer efforts.  Their role was indispensable and exemplary.

There is no shortage of examples of special kindnesses shown to the victims by the volunteers, like the two sorority girls who had helped gather the scattered remains of a lady's household from a ravine, and returned the next day with a gift of two plants for Mother's Day.  But some of the most touching acts of generosity were those between the victims themselves.  Many refused food and household items, asking that they be given to those "who needed it more."  And at the home where we were working, the owner was deeply  touched when her daughter and a friend, despite countless pressures, took time to weed and loving plant flowers for her as a Mother's Day present.

One of the most heart-warming stories we heard was of a school principal who was always the first to respond generously to any need in his church.  He was inside his rental home when the tornado hurled it across the road and it exploded upon impact.  Everything he owned was demolished.  He returned to church as soon as he was released from the hospital and was observed putting fifty dollars into the offering for tornado victims.  The church was so touched with this act of selfless generosity, that they purchased a piece of land for him and will help him build a home on it.

Perhaps the most difficult lesson of all was for the volunteers.  The people who had lost everything displayed a generosity and concern for the volunteers that was extremely humbling.  In the midst of all their chaos, the family we were helping made time to purchase and wrap Mother's Day gifts for me.  And taped inside my card, from the matriarch of the family, was a fifty-dollar bill.  How could I keep it under the circumstances?  I discussed my quandary with the minister of the church where our trailer was parked, and he convinced me of my need to graciously accept the gift.  Besides, he pointed out, God had already repaid her several-fold with a donation from an anonymous benefactor!

There is little doubt that these communities will rebuild, thrive and prosper once again.  For they know the Source of their prosperity and will bring it to fruition.  They were already planting their gardens when we departed!

Published in Unity Magazine, November 1998.