There are many times that I curse the fact that I'm a very light sleeper, but last Friday, my curse became a blessing - the great Illinois earthquake of 2008. There was a short rumble, which woke me up, followed by the big one. It was about 10-20 seconds long and ended up measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Because I was awake, I got to relish every exhilarating moment of it.
Now, for those of us from the Midwest, this is not common. Because of this fact, the quake was not only a cool thing to be awake for, but also a bit of a religious experience. The past several days, I've found myself trying to relive that moment. How I felt. What I thought about. And each time (if I can muster up a vivid memory) it gives me the same sensation - a feeling of simultaneous insignificance and connectivity.
Feeling the ground move, it makes you realize how big the world is. Even that which is solid and fixed is capable of shifting. It's humbling, to say the least. At the same time, I couldn't get over how my friends back in Chicago (2 hours away) had felt the same thing. When I drove to school that day, I noted how everything that I drove by - the trees, the fields, the Arbys - they all shook too. Where ever I went that day, strangers were excitedly talking about it. We all, no matter how different we were, felt the same thing. How often in life to we get a chance to have that kind of connection with everyone we see?
For me, that feeling of insignificance and connectivity simply reaffirms and makes visceral my faith. It makes me feel as though the Big Guy was trying to say "Hey, you...you're not all that. Remember me? I'm in control. Oh, and BTW, here's some free adrenaline...you don't even have to do anything sinful to get it."
Now, for those of us from the Midwest, this is not common. Because of this fact, the quake was not only a cool thing to be awake for, but also a bit of a religious experience. The past several days, I've found myself trying to relive that moment. How I felt. What I thought about. And each time (if I can muster up a vivid memory) it gives me the same sensation - a feeling of simultaneous insignificance and connectivity.
Feeling the ground move, it makes you realize how big the world is. Even that which is solid and fixed is capable of shifting. It's humbling, to say the least. At the same time, I couldn't get over how my friends back in Chicago (2 hours away) had felt the same thing. When I drove to school that day, I noted how everything that I drove by - the trees, the fields, the Arbys - they all shook too. Where ever I went that day, strangers were excitedly talking about it. We all, no matter how different we were, felt the same thing. How often in life to we get a chance to have that kind of connection with everyone we see?
For me, that feeling of insignificance and connectivity simply reaffirms and makes visceral my faith. It makes me feel as though the Big Guy was trying to say "Hey, you...you're not all that. Remember me? I'm in control. Oh, and BTW, here's some free adrenaline...you don't even have to do anything sinful to get it."
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