Storm: Walking Through Life’s Storms

It’s so good to be blogging again! I missed connecting with you all these past couple months. Our family had some crazy weeks, with family things needing my attention in May. We spent the better half of June on the Takenaka 2016 Road Trip. Which was great fun, filled with wonderful memories, many glimpses of rural America, time with friends and family, and time together in the car. And a whole lot of crazy in the mix. Thanks for your patience while I was on my break. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with everyone again. 

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My heart always thrills at the thought of a road trip. My husband. Our boys. All in one car, seeing our country’s amazing beauty. Me taking pictures out the window like a crazy woman And I love it. Well, most of it.

The one thing that scares me is the thought of tornadoes. Living in (or near) the midwest, tornadoes and summer seem to go hand in hand. The blessing of having weather-related phone apps is that you can anticipate any severe weather. The downside of a weather-related phone app is . . . you can anticipate  any severe weather.

Whenever I see those yellow and red cells moving across the roads we’re driving on, my heart tightens and beats a little faster.

Have I mentioned I don’t like tornadoes? And the thought of being on an open plain—in the middle of nowhere—when a storm strikes, leaves me clutching the side door handle, with white knuckles.

My husband does most of the driving on our trips. And he’s a great driver. But something in me snaps when we hit a storm. It’s all I can do to not tell him to slow down, to keep more distance between our car and the semi in front of us. Wearing a calm exterior so our boys don’t pick up on my fear happens through gritting my teeth and forcing calm into my voice. It’s almost beyond me to wear a calm exterior so my boys don’t pick up on how scared I am.

Somehow, when we’re driving through torrential rainfall, with lightning striking the fields nearby, I tend to forget the One who created storms. I forget that the same power that pours into lightning is used by our Father to protect us.

Life-storms seem to come in a similar way. Sometimes, we skirt along the edges of the storm, hoping it will pass off to the perimeter of our lives.

Sometimes we see the storm crossing our life path, and we drive straight through it, because we can’t stop somewhere to wait it out.

Courtesy of the Weather Channel app

Other times, in all their roiling red power, the storms find us, and rock us to our core.

The question is, will we try and avoid the storm?

Or, will we choose to trust God as we navigate our way through it?

Am I the only one who still struggles with the reality that I am not in control? When rainstorms hit where we’re driving, we need to remember that the One who has guided us safe thus far on our trip is still watching over us. (Click to tweet)

He’s protecting us, and He’s with us in the storm.

When a storm blows into the middle of our life—whether it’s a chaos storm, a relationship storm, an illness storm, or another sort of storm—God sees the radar. He knows when the reds are going to cross our path, and He’s right there with us.

Our role is not to white-knuckle our way through. Our role is to trust Him. Does He promise to veer us away from the hard things in life, or maybe to allow only the perimeter of the storm to cross our paths? No.

But, He does promise to walk with us through said storms. He promises to be there when we need to lean on Him, to give us comfort when we are discouraged, or—let’s be honest—scared spitless. He promises to never leave us or forsake us.

Each storm we encounter will be unique. Each one will bring rain, snow, high winds, and even the occasional tornado. God’s word tells us the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

When we can walk through storms trusting that God will bring us through to the other side,

When we realize we don’t have to be the only strong one through it,

That’s when we can go forward with confidence, knowing we are not alone.

When we walk with Him, we can take comfort in the reality that God sees us. He is with us. And He loves us.

What about you? What helps you get through life’s storms? What Bible verse gives you courage when you’re walking through a difficult season?

Today I’m linking up with Holly Barrett and Kelly Balarie at #RaRaLinkup.