It’s storming…again

For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1:3-4  
A few years back, I remember we had a spring unlike any other spring season I have seen in all of my life.  It was crazy.  There was rain almost every day and add to that severe weather way too often.  I literally had to take cover from a tornado at least twice and one of those times I did not think I was going to survive.  I was on a road trip, out in the middle of nowhere, and was trying to outrun a storm so I could find a safe place and wait it out.  I was getting directions and advice from several people who knew I was driving through it while they were looking at radars and telling me where to go.  

At one point, I turned around and went back to where I had just come from to avoid the storm, which was huge and severe with multiple tornadoes.  Of course, as soon as I turned around headed away from where the storm was heading, the storm shifted and changed directions. It was chasing me.  My son was with me and we had to stop and wait it out for over an hour and then finally had to leave and brave it because it was getting later, the storm was moving slowly, and my son had to get up and go to school the next morning.  So, we left and once again headed straight into where the storm was headed, hoping we could beat it.  Well, we didn’t beat it.  After almost being pushed off the road by the swirling winds and dodging all kinds of debris flying across the highway, we finally stopped under an underpass, along with many other people.  It was terrifying and we thought we were going to die that night.

After my son and I sat through that storm that night, we both felt like we would never be afraid of anything ever again.  Since that night, although we have never been as afraid as we were that night, we have endured many more severe storms.  The words “tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds,” were becoming a daily part of the weather forecast that year.  It felt like the universe had gone haywire.   The night we were in the bad storm on the highway, there were 9 confirmed tornadoes close to where we were.  People lost homes, property and some lost loved ones as well due to the horrible storms that spring season.  

100% Chance of Storms AheadI wondered often in the midst of that unusually stormy season “What is the reason or purpose for all this?  What is God doing or trying to tell us?”  I really thought I was going to die in that storm that night, so why did God have me experience that and why am I still here?  I know there is a purpose and a plan for every single experience in our lives, and four years later I am still remembering and wondering what He was doing.  In life there are many “storms” we go through. There are those seasons in life when it feels like we are literally dodging lightning and running from tornadoes every time we turn around.  It feels like the sky is really falling and all you want to do is get out the downpour and hide away somewhere you feel safe and secure.  “Safe” places are hard to come by in those storms just like an underpass in the middle of nowhere.  In the dark places in life, with twisting winds of the unknown and downpours drowning our hope, God is our safe place.  

God is the “safe place” we need to run to in the middle of the storms in life.  We can’t do it on our own; we don’t have the resources or abilities to face the challenges ahead, so God gives us what we need.  He knows the forecast and is prepared for the storms. He is always right beside us. He is our shelter and He will not abandon us or let us down.  He will see us through and will provide the lifeboat if needed.  God has a specific purpose and plan for our lives. Storms are simply temporary setbacks along the way toward fulfilling that purpose.