In 1999 a number of Turkish villages were destroyed by a massive earthquake.
Sadly, this could have been avoided.
30 years prior, the villagers had been warned by scientists that certain towns were situated on top of a major fault line.
They were instructed to relocate as soon as possible. An earthquake could occur at any time.
The leaders convened to discuss the situation.
Their decision was shocking.
They did not demand (or even encourage) the townspeople to move.
Instead, they redrew the geological map and moved the fault line so that their villages would no longer be in danger.
Nobody needed to be bothered with the inconveniences and hassles associated with moving.
For 30 years the people had peace of mind.
But then the powerful earthquake hit and villages were destroyed.
They were told the day was coming but they did not want to believe it—they did not want to be inconvenienced.
They paid a heavy price.
May we never be like this!
If we get news we do not like, we must change! We must move! We cannot just “move the line.”
If we compare our lives to the Gospel and discover that we are not living in harmony with the will of God, we must change.
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:26-27)
