We’ve all been affected in one way or another by the bushfires, either as a spectator from afar, or a friend or family member of someone caught up in the fires, or maybe even a property owner in one of the fire zones. No matter where you stand, it’s been a disaster and it’s pretty hard to imagine any good coming out of what has happened.

Interestingly however, there is an upside to what has happened. It may not be what we’d choose but it is an upside, nevertheless.

Properties and possessions have been lost in the fires, these will have to be rebuilt or replaced in many cases, and that paves the way for a massive boost in retail sales and a massive amount of work for builders, tradesmen and the like. Where some people have lost everything, in the circle of life so to speak, their losses will mean a massive boost in fortunes for others. It may not appear the most palatable of thoughts, but it is a fact, nonetheless.

Builders and tradespeople will flock to those areas decimated by the fires looking for work, building product suppliers will be called upon to supply timber, tiles, roofing materials, concrete, paint and more as part of the rebuilding process.  Retailers like Harvey Norman will sell millions of dollars’ worth of appliances to replace those lost in the fires. Clothing stores, homewares, stores, furniture and bedding stores will sell thousands of items to people who have to replace items lost in the fires. This is only a sample of the millions of retail sales that will result from the fires.

Like I said, it’s not a situation that we’d choose to be in, but it is a positive in amongst a huge negative.

Life can be very interesting at times can’t it? My wife and I were talking about the fires last week and she said she’d never seen fires like this before. I agreed but I also said, if we’d received the rain that fell early last week a day or two after the fires started, it would have been a very different result. Weather can play such an important part in so many areas of life, and not just with fires. I think it’s fair to say, the weather was very much against us with these fires, it could have been described as a perfect storm for fire disaster. No rain whatsoever, wind, heat and possibly other factors contributed to the fire disaster that was.

Thankfully, this fire event appears behind us now and the recovery process is underway. No doubt it will be a very difficult time for many people as they rebuild and get their lives back together. For the rest of us, let’s not be too quick to think that just because the problem has gone away for now, the ramifications won’t be felt for a long time to come. Let’s keep giving to, encouraging and praying for those who have such a long road to recovery ahead of them.