I want to throw out a simple principle that applies to both property and personal disasters. In the property disaster restoration world there are several pertinent terms. You can find these in your insurance policy. The first word is MITIGATION. The meaning of the word, in effect, is stopping the damage before it gets worse. You are obligated by your home owners contract with your insurance company to do just that. Whether it is water damage, fire (smoke and odor) damage, microbial damage (mold), trauma damage, storm damage, vandalism or a whole host of other forms of damage, you have the responsibility to take prudent steps to stop it before it gets worse. That usually, but not always, involves using a company like ours (and there are plenty of good ones out there) in the mitigation process. Make no mistake, if you hesitate to do so secondary damage can occur. But, before you can arrest the damage being done you are obligated, as well, to discover and repair the source. We cannot dry a building if the plumbing is still leaking, for instance. The second term is RESTORATION. This means returning the situation to a pre-loss condition. That is what your insurance company is obligated to do. It is the notion of indemnifying the policy holder/property. Restoration involves putting everything back together. Sometimes, though, the damage is so severe that the restoration can only be accomplished by RECONSTRUCTION. Sometimes the process is lengthy and complicated. It involves many people, each with an expertise in one facet of the reconstruction. There is typically an adjuster that coordinates all that needs to take place. The adjuster is obligated by law to act in a fiduciary manner, representing the interest of both parties (the insurance company and you). Disasters can happen to any of us. If they do, “don’t hesitate to mitigate!”
Now, how does that apply to us personally? I am glad you asked. One of the purposes of this blog site is to have a conversation about that. Let me suggest that all of us have been damaged. This damage is because we are born sinners. I never had to send my children to sin school. It is natural. The longer we go before we recognize that damage is being done by our sinfulness the more secondary damage can occur. Some people can live less damaged lives than others, but we are all damaged. Spiritual mitigation can happen. Remember, though, the principle above, you have to take steps to deal with the source. Turning over a new leaf, trying harder, blaming others, attending seminars, reading self-help books and being religious are like mitigation. These things can never fully work until you deal with the source. However, these things can help it from getting worse, but can never fully stop the damage and begin the process of restoration. There is a special adjuster with an eternal fiduciary orientation to help indemnify you, the God-Man, Jesus Christ. In all my years of ministry and counseling I have discovered that this process can fully begin only when a person is honest about themselves and their sinfulness. That is where you start. It is like the crew of Apollo 13’s panicked message, “Houston, we have a problem.” When you start there the restoration can begin.
Mitigation companies are available 24/7/365. People can discover disasters at any time. When you call someone will answer the phone, even if you cannot see them. Let me suggest that even though you cannot see God He is available 24/7/365. If you need God call John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” DON”T HESITATE TO MITIGATE!
