Australia is burning. Three different states are facing a natural disaster. Families have lost their homes, hundreds others are likely to lose theirs soon. Animals are dying. The land is arid, the winds are strong, and the fire spreads.

We need rain. Lots of rain.

Australia is a mostly dry country. A vast land of dessert, red soil, as well as rivers, lakes and the wild ocean. The rivers and dams are drying up.

The east coast of NSW burns. Victoria burns. South Australia burns. Take a look at the map and it appears that a quarter of Australia is in flames.

We’re surrounded by ocean and yet there is little we can do to stop it. Until the sky pours down with much needed rain, it’s a hopeless but necessary pursuit to stop the burning.

But it will stop.

Australia is strong. The people working together are stronger than ever. The firefighters and volunteers and every day Australian’s are doing their bit. They are the true heroes in this country.

It’s easy to sit in the comfort of your living room and comment on a disaster a few hundred kilometres away. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and suffering that so many families are going through right now. Their lives torn, their homes engulfed by flames, everything they’ve known burning before their eyes. Not knowing when they’ll go back or even if they’ll ever go back.

Australians are strong. They will come together, they will rebuild what is lost.

That stage is still so far away. The end of the fires is nowhere in sight as the summer heat and crazy winds continue.

There will be blame laid against our leaders. How much fault is there’s that the fires still burn is debatable. They didn’t start them. But they haven’t shown the greatest leadership skills throughout the ordeal. They failed to take the issue seriously from the onset.

Could things have ended up differently? Could the fires have been contained a few months ago? That’s anyone’s guess. The conditions haven’t been good and playing the blame game isn’t going to bring back the lives lost, the animals killed, the houses destroyed.

The fires are burning. They are destroying everything in their path. Reminding us that we are all in this together. We need to stick together. Look out for each other. Help one another in times of need.

Why is it that only when disaster strikes that we are willing to come together?

It’s times like these that we see the best and worst in people. Whether it’s a natural disaster or a war there will be those with open arms as well as those who take advantage of the situation.

Disaster can strike any one of us at any one time. Most of us live in the belief that it will never happen to us. Maybe it won’t. Chances are that something will. Whether it’s being caught up in a fire, an inconceivable illness, a job loss, death, or war, we will all be touched by a disaster at some point in time during our stay on this earth.

This is our home but we are only passing through. We borrow it from those that will come after. We have a leasehold on the earth and nothing more. We can make ourselves believe that we own it all but sooner or later it all becomes someone else’s.

It’s moments like these that remind us of what is truly important.

I like to believe that the majority of humans are good. That the pendulum swings towards the side of good not evil.

We are so busy with our lives that we start to believe that the world revolves around us. It doesn’t. Nor does it owe us anything.

It’s in the disasters that we see just how vulnerable and powerless we really are against mother nature. At the same time it provides an opportunity to test our strength, courage and ability to rebuild.

The fires continue burning. The Army Reserves are being called in. People are being evacuated by the Navy. Volunteers are risking their lives to put out the flames. Tears are falling, they will continue to fall, but in them there will be strength and dedication to start again, to start afresh.

Things will get better. The fires will stop. The damage has been done but Australians will come out stronger. United they will conquer whatever gets thrown at them.

I have hope. We need to have hope. Hope is what gets us through. We need to believe. But belief and hope on their own are worthless. Like dreams without a plan, hope and belief without action will result in nothing.

We must all help, no matter how small or how large, our contribution will be appreciated. It will make a difference. It’s starts with us. It starts with you. We are the difference makers.

Whether it’s $20 for the Rural Fire Brigade, a roof over a young family’s head for a few nights, donating clothes to a shelter, providing a hamper of food and water for those in need. It’s the little things when put together that make an incredible difference, and show just how fortunate we are to have each other.

Australia, you are in my thoughts and prayers.