Storms

Storms have been on my mind quite a bit! Probably because there have been so many storms lately, not only weather-related ones(of which there have been many), but also personal ones for myself and others. As I've already relayed in previous posts, I am not a fan of storms. The lightning makes me jump and freaks me out, that is some powerful stuff. It usually makes me close my eyes and crouch down, so you can only imagine how well that works while I'm driving. You really think that's going to change just because I'm driving?? Really? Then, you don't know me well! It definitely happens. Then thunder really does me in. Hey, I don't even do balloons popping ok? Not a fan of parties where balloons are involved. Yup, that's me, I can't even go to see fireworks...yea, not pretty at all! Just a month or two ago I went to a Civil War reenactment, it was really great...until they started fighting, using those big cannons. Trying to keep my ears plugged even though my arms were getting super tired, while trying to keep from making the sounds of fear that kept trying and succeeding in escaping from my mouth was rough. Ok, so now that you have a little better understanding of how I feel about storms, maybe you will see why I just don't like them at all. We had some pretty bad storms last night, the lightning was crazy. Down into the basement I went, my safe haven. Last week there were some awful storms that came through and produced some awful tornadoes in Massachusetts, just a little over the border from Connecticut and just about 20 minutes from me. That definitely put things into perspective. It wasn't one of those "over there" storms, it was right here. Quite close to home. There were three tornadoes that touched down, one was EF3, the other two were EF1. I know there have been much worse, even just recently, but we are not used to that here. Channel 3 gave us a chance to help out those in need by having places set up to drop off cash or checks for the American Red Cross to use in helping these people rebuild. That day our state raised over $41, 000 in aid for our neighbors to the north. What a blessing to be able to help! There have been several news stories showing the devastation of the storm. Stories such as a mom who threw her 15 year old daughter in the bathtub and jumped on top of her only to lose her life while saving her daughters. This story and many others broke my heart, but there were several people confidently saying we are going to rebuild, we will make it through this. To see their hope and strength was so encouraging. There have been other tornadoes recently in other parts of the country. There have even been some storms lately that have brought lots of rain to some areas and many places have been flooded, many people have lost homes in that way as well. Of course many people are just devastated because of losing so much, discouraged, and not knowing what to do, but they are willing to keep trying and going on. Even now as I sit here we are getting more Severe Thunderstorm warnings, so yup, you guessed it, I'm down in the basement, my safe place. Through these storms there have also been many stories of people rallying to help those in need. So many selfless people willing to help, even in just the smallest way. I heard a story of one lady who drove around with water bottles and donuts in the back of her minivan to bring to those who were out working, clearing away debris. She just wanted to do something to help.
All these storms have made me think of so many storms that I have heard going on in people's lives including my own...spiritual storms and personal storms. There have been so many people hurting because of storms of sickness, whether it's that person or someone they know and love. Many times it has been storms of job loss, or insecurity about what is going on with a job. Many storms of not being sure of the future, what will happen with a loved one, what will happen with people themselves and things going on in their lives, what will happen with their children. So many different things that have caused storms for people. Some of these same things have been some major storms in my life, and they have been big. I'm sitting in the dark now writing this because this big storm has cut off our electricity. Sometimes when storms are big like this in our lives we don't see how we are going to get through the darkness, sometimes it seems to last forever......but it doesn't. It might last longer than we might like(that's usually the case for me, weather-related or personal). But the storms do come to an end, there is always a brightness on the other side, we might have to look around for that side, but we will find it sooner or later. Storms can do lots of damage in our lives, our minds, but if we seek the Lord and trust Him, He will carry us through to the other side. Many times we forget to trust Him or even praise Him in the storm, but He still graciously brings us to the other side. Even today, a friend of mine wrote in her status on facebook that a storm that they had where she was last night actually scared her because she could hear all the hail hitting hard against the windows, but she mentioned how glad she is that "God is greater than anything life throws at us". Then she added that it was a beautiful morning there for them which she stated was "another picture of God's goodness and grace". That really struck me this morning and reminded me to look for God through the storm like Peter did when he walked on the water, as long as he kept his eyes on God, he was able to make it.
Lord, help me to always keep my eyes on you. These storms are tough, the spiritual, the physical, and for me your little girl, even the weather-related. Thank you for letting me know that you are with me through all of these storms. I may not like them, but there is beauty that I can see afterward, and there strength that I seem to get as I finish growing through these storms. Thank you for your grace and goodness. You are a good God.