The Storm

Living “Intentional” in the storm.

As a child I hated storms.  They brought so much anxiety and fear in my life.  I can remember anytime there was a threat of severe weather I often made a pallet on my parents floor.  There was something about being in their room, near them that brought comfort.  

My parents did not have the ability to protect me any more than I could have protected myself, but my heart could rest being near the familiar and the comfort of those whom I found love and trust.  

Because my room was in the front of the house and my window was elevated, the rain would hit my window so hard.  It was loud and often times it was intense.  I would take my pillow and place it over my head and try to drown out the noise of the storm.  Sometimes that worked, but other times I ended up on my parents floor.  

Now that I am married, and have children of my own, severe weather does not bother me like it used to, but I have discovered that other storms in my life can often cause me the same anxiety and fear that I had as a child when the rain would pound on my window and fear would rattle my heart.  

I have heard many times that you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or getting ready to be in a storm.  

That has never been more real in my life than in the past 4 months.

 We have been challenged and hurt.  Confused and frustrated.  We have forgiven and loved.  We have been fearful and peaceful.  We have had to answer questions from our children when confusion and misunderstanding rattled their hearts.  We have had to stand up for our family.  We experienced health scares in our precious newborn niece, parents heath, and a loss of words in unknown steps.

We have loved each other through tears and pain and Praise Jesus, he has never left us and we have come out on the other side.  The other side of this storm.  This storm called life.  

The problem isn’t the storm, but our resistance to it.

Our standing firm, holding fast, unwilling to move. Our refusal to change.

Perhaps in order to have the life we truly desire, some things need to be uprooted. Just maybe, our seemingly perfect order of life needs to be twisted and torn from our tightly clenched fist. You see, I think we’re so afraid of the storm that we hold on to things not meant for us. We stay contained inside the person we have grown out of and limit God the ability to work in a life He created for more.

The storm is not our greatest danger.  The danger in the storm comes from not allowing God to move through you during the storm.  

I am learning storms are not meant to cause fear, but they ARE meant to bring change.  Change is hard at times.  It’s hard when God calls you from the familiar and takes you to the unfamiliar.   When He strips all you know as normal,  to make His plan more known in your life.  

Peace doesn’t usually come in ease and quiet. It comes when we are forced to expand our boundaries, step outside our comfort zone, and challenge deeply held and long-standing beliefs.

May we be intentional in and out of the storms.  May our hearts desire for the Lord to move in and around us no matter what he has to take us through to make that happen.  

May our family love more and grow in grace in 2015.  And may we be more intentional to serve him, seek him and serve others this year.  

Lord use our family in a magnitude beyond anything we can reach within ourselves.

Wherever you are are…be all there.

-Jim Elliot

I will walk by faith even when I cannot see.

2 Corinthians 5:1