In the middle of December, a devastating F4 tornado ripped through my home state of Alabama. There was no tornado damage in my county, although my family cowered in our basement while tornado sirens wailed. Neighboring Tuscaloosa County carried the brunt of the destruction with hundreds of businesses, homes, and lives being destroyed.

The victims told stories of a quick hit and annihilation of their families and neighborhoods. They wandered through the rubble looking for someone or something familiar to cling to. During the first hours of the disaster, paramedics, police, and fire fighters arrived to tend to the victims.

As the days trickled by, something wonderful happened. Complete strangers showed up with chainsaws, blankets, canned goods, pick up trucks, and cash to help. Toys streamed in anonymously from schools, businesses, and even Girl Scout troops. I saw on the local news where very small church made a love offering of $5500 during a single Christmas ceremony!

The out-pouring of aid, supplies, hugs, and strong arms was totally overwhelming. Most notably, the Red Cross and Salvation Army provided inestimable services to these victims.

On the night of the tornado, I circled my children around me for our nightly prayer. I began by praising God for His protection, then my voice caught, and cried in front of my children. My concerned seven-year-old son asked, "Why did God send the tornado to hurt people?"

I cupped his face in my hands and said, "God didn't send the tornado to hurt people. I don't understand why this happened, but I do know that many people survived this horrible storm and God made that possible. God loves us so very much."

My nine-year-old daughter's eyes shone with tears; she said, "I'm so thankful that our family is safe." I agreed. We prayed for comfort, understanding, and peace to cover these victims as they put their lives back together.

Proverbs 27:10 advises, ". . . do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you -- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away." This happened right before my eyes! Neighbors carried the injured to safety and ministered to body and spirit by offering first aid, water, blankets, listening ears, and good old fashioned prayer.

With the prevalence of evil in this world, I am comforted by the wisdom of scripture and the loving acts of complete strangers. Good always comes from bad. We may not ever understand, but someone will ultimately be affected positively and be turned to God.

By witnessing the courage of these valiant rescuers, I know that the human spirit has triumphed from tragedy.