Hurricane Katrina left in its wake a path of devastation, biblical
in proportion. I applaud all who refuse to yield to despair.
The floodwaters breached the levees of New Orleans and destroyed
homes, but the waters couldn’t break the spirit of the people who call this
remarkable city “home.” Even before Katrina made landfall, student
volunteers of the Tulane Emergency Medical Services provided care to fellow students
and then after the storm they triaged patients at an improvised care facility,
joined in search-and-rescue efforts, and delivered medical supplies to the Convention
Center. Such selfless service was common.
Adversity doesn’t test your character—it reveals it.
And in the aftermath of Katrina, the world again saw the essence of the American
spirit—courage, compassion, resourcefulness, and determination. Billy Graham
once said, “Time is the capital we’ve been given by God to invest
wisely. So, where do we invest it? God calls us to invest our time capital in
the lives of people.”
I encourage you to invest your time in people. That means getting
off the sidelines and staking a personal claim in your country, state, or community.
It doesn’t have to involve politics, but find a way to be of service to
others.
Although I’ve had a wonderful life, I got more of a kick of
being one of the founders of the Midland, Texas, YMCA in 1952 because we did something
positive. We didn’t change the world, just a tiny corner of it by helping
hundreds of great kids.
Many people talk cynically about the times in which we live. But
I believe there are people out there who care, who open their hearts and homes
to the pain and need around them, and who work to make a positive difference.
I believe there are people who seek a higher purpose to serve with their lives.
And when I look at what happened along the Gulf Coast, I still believe in heroes.
The good I see far outweighs the bad, which explains why I am an optimist about
the future that we all face. PE
