Abandoned and Desolate

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7 ESV). When Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005, the park's own drainage pumps failed and the berm protecting the area from Lake Pontchartrain burst, flooding the facility with brackish floodwater four to seven feet deep. The water was not drained for a month. At one point officials had debated turning the area into an outlet mall, though that proposal eventually fell through and the park remains a decaying version of its former self. Tracks that used to hold roller coasters speeding along are now cluttered with trash and vegetation as Six Flags New Orleans slowly decays ten years after Hurricane Katrina. Everything is still intact. Thomas Lawless says in an article for the New York Times, “You can see where the people would wait in long lines; the rollercoasters; the snow-cone stands; the souvenir shops and even the Ferris Wheel is still there, which was decaying in some parts. However, while the hurricane sent most people away from the abandoned park, it also brought in new inhabitants. Film crews using the site have to hire animal wranglers to keep actors safe from snakes and wild hogs. Flood waters also brought in alligators that reach up to 12-feet long, and can be seen lounging in some of the water still standing in parts of the park.” It must be an astonishing sight. Something that was so full of “life” now lies abandoned and desolate. In our reading today the Apostle Paul expresses his astonishment that some of the Galatians had endured some “storms of faith” and been swept away to abandon the Gospel of Christ. I find the same astonishment today as I see others who have exchanged their faith in the completed work of Christ for other things. It is as if they have decided it is not really worth the trouble to rebuild their lives and have walked away leaving a shell of their former lives. It’s not difficult to imagine why some might have opted to do this. Some storms are indeed devastating. They swamp even the most prepared. However, none of these are a final disposition of the work God has begun in our lives. If this is where you find yourself today, please turn your attention to the Gospel you came to know in the beginning. This is the message that Christ has done everything necessary for you to have life in abundance. God has not forgotten you. He is using every experience of your life to produce good even if you can’t see it now. Trust his work in your life and no other. You won’t be disappointed!