Hope in the Storm

Hope in the Storm

Have you ever watched a storm form? The once painted pastels of blues, purples and pinks of the sky suddenly become a whirl of blacks, grays and even greens. The clouds roll in, the streaks of lightning flash and the thunder rattles your home. Before you know it, the torrential down-pour begins. How did that happen so quickly, you may have wondered. Believe me, there have been times I was at the beach with my sons and within minutes we were sprinting to the car! A storm can happen at any time.

Thinking about the earthly storms of nature, I often times relate this to seasons in my own life. I can be joyful, peppy and encouraged and then, WHAM! Out of left field comes a storm. A life event. "Where on earth did that come from?" Suddenly, I am swept up in a hurricane of emotions. My once happy countenance changes to sullen or sunken. Just.like.that. When this happens, I try to remember and think of Scriptures in the Word of God that can remind me to be joyful in all circumstances. I will look for Worship songs to help me break my mood. But, often times I find myself trying to deal with the storm itself, and not the underlying issue(s) at hand that caused me such grief.

In the storm, I will not allow my emotions to rule me. When I do this, my attitude, my frustration and hurt will be projected onto others. I sometimes do not even realize that I am doing it, but I am. 

So, how can I, can we, walk through these storms of life ( and they will come) without allowing the storm to rule us? How can we be unmoved?

I do not have this mastered, believe me. But, a few simple things I try to do when the storms come helps me keep my emotions stable when everything around me is swirling.

1. Take a deep breath- Yes, I mean it. I do it. Many times. Breathing deeply is a wonderful way to release the stress of what I am feeling. I will close my eyes and take a few deep breaths and as I do this, I am praying.
2. Pray- I will pray either silently or aloud ( aloud if I am alone) asking Jesus to calm my storm within. It may not change the situation at hand, but it will change how I react to it.
3. Rationalize and Compartmentalize- I will take my emotional hat off and look at the situation through His eyes. Then, I sort through my feelings, the situation, etc. and begin to deal with each one separately instead of allowing a big ball of emotions to form.
4. Trust-that the Lord has this. Whatever storm it is, He has promised He will walk with you through it. He will be there by your side ( or carry you) every step of the way. He encourages us in His Word that "He will never leave or forsake us." I cling to that promise and trust that whatever storm of life I am in, He is in it with me.
5. Read-His Word. I cannot begin to even express to you the POWER that rests in His Word. When I am facing the giants in my storm, I know I cannot face them alone. His Word is sharper than any two-edged sword. These little fists can never, ever accomplish what He can. I dive deeply into verses I may have on index cards-open a Bible Study I am presently a part of, or open the Bible and ask Him to reveal Himself to me in my moment.

Now, I know what you may be thinking...you may even say, " These steps are great on paper, but how practical are they?" I will tell you that it can be done. I have done this numerous times and comparing the above steps to me just handling it on my own...a vast difference. When I stop, pray, think, trust and read His Word I am a different woman. I handle things very differently. Not in fleshly emotion, but in a way that benefits my spiritual and overall health and the well-being of others. It takes practice, and time. You may not remember to do it every time you are facing a storm....but trust me, when you begin to see the difference in how you respond vs. how He has you respond, you will quickly remember these steps.

Every storm of life we face, we face for a reason. Nothing, I mean nothing, happens in our life that doesn't pass the throne room of Christ. These storms are made to teach us valuable lessons and to draw us nearer to our Creator. As hard as the rain may fall, trust Him for His perfect plan in your life. " For I have plans for you, plans to prosper you...to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I pray that as we all encounter these storms, that we will seek first the Kingdom of Christ and allow His Spirit to pour over us; settling the storm.

-Lena