Cautiously Chasing a Tornado

     Brock, my youngest son, loves to watch the Discovery Channel's, “Storm Chasers.” It follows several crews of tornado chasers who look for and follow storms that are likely to produce tornadoes. You’ve probably seen the news accounts of the tragic death of three men who were featured on the program, Tim Samaras and his son, Paul, along with colleague Carl Young, were all killed when the vehicle they were using to follow an E3 touchdown, was crushed by what is believed to be a spin-off of the main twister. It was a terrible tragedy and I grieve for the loved ones of all three.
     What was ironic about this, is that Tim Samaras, the leader, had a reputation among meteorologists as the safest of those who chased storms. Unlike some in the field, he was described by his colleagues as one who did not take risks to get in too close. He was not a thrill seeker, but a scientist who wanted to collect information for the sake of research.
     But is it really possible to be a “cautious storm chaser”? I don’t condemn these three for what happened, nor do I blame others in this field. I’m kind of a risk-taker by nature, myself. But let’s face it, chasing tornadoes is not safe. It just isn’t. I’d have a hard time describing anyone as a “cautious storm chaser.”
     But then there are those who love to play around the edges of sin while trying to convince loved ones that they are “careful.” Promiscuous people often say that they practice, “safe sex”, while making their rounds. I’ve had addicts tell me that they always make sure they use only clean needles. I’ve also had alcoholics try to reassure me that they are very careful when they drive, and can drive better after a few drinks. It’s one of the dupes of sin. Giving in clouds our thinking and misleads us into believing we are fine.
     After all, Tim Samaras was safely buckled into the seat of his storm-chasing SUV. He was found still buckled in.
     There is nothing safe about chasing tornadoes. And there is nothing safe about playing with sin. Let’s not see how close we can get. Let’s see how far away we can stay!

Proverbs 4:14-15, 19 – “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on… The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (ESV).