STORMS

Storms…

Early this morning God put on a spectacular light show. Lightning and thunder seemed to never end. During the storm, an area close to us was hit by a tornado. As I write this I do not know the full extent of the damage. However, I do know some damage has occurred and with storms there is always an understanding and knowledge of what the storm has done and what a storm can do. We have all seen the effects of a storm after it has passed through. There are the bent signs, bowed light poles, and blown off roofs with shingles scattered across the landscape. There are downed power lines, and broken glass in driveways, storefronts, cars and parking lots. In some cases, and with this storm there was flooding that came with it. Flooding itself will leave damaged property and certain danger to families, pets, and livestock.

This all reminds me of life. We all have had our storms and all have been left with scars to prove it, whether physical, or emotional. Those scars and wounds they are forever there. The storm can set the stage for many things in life. Storms bring to us pressure. There is always the possibility of panic in a storm. What do we do? Fear can set upon us, we can be beset by anxiety and stress that comes along with a storm. Ask the disciples while their storm raged as Jesus the Peace Speaker was asleep in the bottom of the boat. Ask Paul as he was lost in his storm on a boat with his fellow prisoners off the coasts of Melita. They were in such a storm that all their cargo was lost and there was such great fear to the extent that some were in discussion of making a swim for their lives.

I have witnessed not just in my own life what storms can leave but also in others. Storms can drive one into an island of isolation. Storms can surround you with people that have also been effected to the point that they have reacted in harsh ways. They have become critical; the fault of their storm is on somebody else never their own or never acknowledged of the one it came. Storms we know can do a lot of damage. But we all know what we do after the storm, they will come through. They will replace the roofs, they will sweep up the glass and install new. They will haul away the uprooted trees and the debris left by the storm. The down poles will be repaired, and those who lost electricity will have their power on usually within hours. Why is it that we can’t respond to the storm as we should? Surely the storm takes away from us, absolutely the storm comes and with its wake it leaves us wounded and scarred, but isn’t that a lesson in and of itself? First the wound and then the scar, after all a scar is simply a mark of a wound that has healed.

Noah found his place when he came through his storm. Oh, that we could like Noah understand the nature of a storm. The storm will always pass, and at the storms end, we all should see its rainbow and carry on with our scars and a testimony of faith that we made it.  

Thank you for reading… Blessings from your storm…