The Storms of Life

EARLY this morning, a storm blew through (and yes, Dori, I was on storm duty)....The wind was raging and it sounded as if the trees were going to come through the roof just over my bedroom....The thunder rolled, the wind howled and the rain came down in sheets. It was rough....For about fifteen minutes.

We all go through storms in life...Most of them last longer than fifteen minutes...Some are fifteen weeks, fifteen months or fifteen years; some are even longer. So why can't the storms of life move through our lives at fifty miles an hour? Because if we had fifteen minutes of storms, most of us wouldn't learn much, if anything. Storms strengthen us and educate us. They build character, but more importantly, they build dependence on God. Troubles rage, worries howl and we hold our breath and wait for them to blow over, but really we are cultivating our trust in God.

God is our Father. Although I have no experience at being a father, I have experience at being a mother and I know that I would never do anything to bring harm to my child. I discipline her because I love her. I allow the doctor to give her shots. Though those things are painful to her, it is for her own good. Well, how much more must God love me than I love Savannah? Infinite amounts more. So even though the storms of life rage around me, I have the most Divine Protector who is standing there holding the umbrella.

I've always said that God uses adversity to get our attention....Our free will determines whether or not He keeps it.