clean

As the flood waters in Nashville and the surrounding areas have receded they have left behind stories of near death experiences, amazing accounts  of how quickly the waters reached flood stage, and devastating remi

  of how powerful and destructive the forces of nature can be. Each day  seems to bring more reminders of the loss of property and oppressing sense of frustration and hopelessness that many are experiencing as they attempt to restore and rebuild their homes and their lives.

  Among the images that are being indelibly imprinted in our memory banks are the watermarks left on automobiles, houses, bridges, roadways, hillsides and tree lines. As you stand in once flooded basements, or walk through neighborhood streets and stroll down walkways which were completely underwater it almost takes ones breath away when you realize just how high the waters were. On the Stones River Greenway it appears

  that there are areas where water levels were easily twenty to thirty feet above normal levels. In one neighborhood located on the banks of the Cumberland River you can now stand in a backyard that once was covered  with four to five feet of water and look down the bluff to where the river  now flows harmlessly peaceful on it's way a good forty to fifty feet below the yard level.

  On a recent walk through one of these areas I was stunned as I thought of how quickly this area was changed and stained and some in cases destroyed by the destructive floodwaters. What was once a lush green walkway along  the bank of a gently flowing river is now covered with a dirty dingy brown layer of mud and silt. One can only hope that in time it will be restored to its former natural beauty. One can only hope that with the assistances

  of future rains and winds these stained branches and leaves and pathways will eventually be washed clean. In spite of the present ugliness, there is hope of renewal and restored life.

  As I continued the walk my thinking shifted to how quickly our lives can be changed, stained, and destroyed by the destructive power of sin. A life that was once vibrant, fresh and clean can turn into a dark troubled weak

  imitation of what once was. A soul can instantly be tainted by a careless decision. A heart can be broken with a thoughtless decision. Sin creeps in. The damage is done. However, the situation is not a hopeless. As with

  the landscape that is stained by floodwaters, the sin-stained soul can be  cleansed by the blood of Jesus. There is hope of renewal and restored  life.

  "So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each

  other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living  in the truth." (1 John 1:6-8 New Living Translation)

  The people who have been affected by the recent floods are doing what they can to move forward toward some sense of normalcy. With help from family,  friends, churches, insurance companies, and government agencies our  community is coming back to life. With help from family, friends, churches and accountability groups the person trapped in sin can find their way  back to a better place. With the blood of Jesus Christ the sin-controlled

  life can be washed clean.

  There is cleansing and hope through the blood of Jesus.

  -tom norvell