The Earthquake Drill That Wasn't a Drill

On March 11, 2011, students at Kamaishi East Junior High School in Japan had practiced tsunami drills so many times that some rolled their eyes at the routine. But their teacher, Tadao Katagiri, never let them slack off. "When the shaking comes," he repeated every semester, "you don't think. You move to high ground." When the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck that Friday afternoon, the students didn't freeze. They grabbed their bags and ran uphill, just as they'd rehearsed dozens of times. Some of them shouted to elderly neighbors along the way, pulling them by the hand toward higher ground. Within forty minutes, a wall of black water swallowed the town below. Nearly every student at that school survived. They became known across Japan as the "Miracle of Kamaishi."

Jesus looked at His disciples and said the day is coming when the seas will roar and people's hearts will fail them from fear. But He didn't say this to terrify them. He said it so they could be ready. "Stand up and lift your heads," He urged, "because your redemption is drawing near."

The Christian life is the drill that isn't just a drill. Every prayer, every act of faithfulness, every moment of watching and waiting — these are not empty routines. They are rehearsals for the day when the King returns. Those students survived because readiness had become who they were. The Almighty calls us to the same — not anxious dread, but practiced hope, so that when the ground shakes, we already know which way to run.