Julie Was Here

For real.
We stopped in for our annual cousins weekend for my dad's side of the family. They have a gorgeous home on Lake Chautauqua, and we always enjoy our time there. We saw some warnings on the TV for tornados in the area, but when you live in Western New York nine times out of ten the warnings amount to nothing other than a little rain or snow...
So, the storm started... it was rainy and windy but no biggie. Paul was in the bedroom watching out the window, and I walked in. The instant I finished this sentence "this storm is not that big of a deal" the whole room flashed yellow and almost blue, and we heard a crazy loud CRACK. Every smoke detector hard wired in the house went off as lightning struck the tree about 50 feet outside the window. Meanwhile, that lightning was traveling underground in the gas line and started a fire in the cabin next door, where some other relatives were staying.
The minutes of panic experienced following this will for sure stay with me for a while. Tears immediately stung my eyes when I realized what might have happened if not for God's mercy...Adam was asleep in the bed right next to that window where the lightning hit...
The fire could have been there...
What if the gas line...
I could continue on with the possibilities of disaster, but will focus instead on this:
But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us!
Ephesians 2:4 (GOD’S WORD Translation)