I appreciate the love and prayers of y'all, concerning the possible approach of Matthew.
As a child, there were aspects of hurricanes that excited me. I liked cancellation of school and it was always an adventure to see what the storm had left in its wake.
HOWEVER, by the time I was in my middle teens I realized that hurricanes were not an amusement, but a devastation that caused terrible problems for great numbers of people, including the loss of life.
I remember the horror as uplanders and outsiders would actually come to the beach and have, "hurricane parties." How narrow those folks must have been, to party while other people were losing property, livelihoods, and loved ones.
I realize that God's plan takes into consideration the needs of thousands of people, which might include some of them facing the full force of a natural phenomena. Therefore, I do not tell God what to do, but I do ask Him to protect and spare His people and to reach out to those who are not trusting Him, and if it pleases Him, I ask that the storm be done away completely. After all, when it changes course, it will bear down on other communities, victimizing them.
My view, and the view of those who are mature and serious about the important things in life, and have compassion for other people in the path of a hurricane (or a tornado, or a raging fire, or a drought, or a flood), is not a celebration of devastation, but weathering and surviving the destructive force of the storm.
When you consider the relatively few numbers of people on islands who have died in hurricanes through the years, we see that God has been very merciful. When God allows a hurricane or any other natural disaster, it is not for fun or amusement, but for higher purposes. We should take our lead from God, not from the immature and inebriated and insensitive pleasure seekers.
