The Storms that Come

I really wish I could tell you why life can be so difficult sometimes.  I wish I had an answer that made some sense of it all.  I look around at some of the people in my life and all that they are going through and all I can think is God, I don't understand.  The friend whose job is a huge source of stress and there doesn't seem to be any other options, the pastor who's daughter was murdered at the age of  22, another friend whose precious hopes have once again been shattered.  The storms that come in life can be so painful and it's so hard watching someone you love go through a storm.

A couple of days ago a storm came through Boston.  The winds were fierce and it got me thinking.  If you look at strong, sturdy trees when a strong wind blows they look a little frazzled.  The leaves are shaking wildly and the branches are swaying.  If it's a bad enough storm a branch or two may even snap, but the roots remain in the ground.  The wind doesn't uproot the tree and toss it about.  The tree is anchored because of its roots. 

For anyone in the midst of the storms that come, may you be rooted in peace today and always.  Your leaves may shake, your branches may bend and sway and one or two may snap, but may you be rooted in the shalom that only God can offer.  May you know that no matter how the deep the pain, no matter how grave the crisis, you will NOT be uprooted and tossed about.  May God's peace anchor your soul through the storms that come until they pass over. This is my prayer for you.

Following the Way,
Kevin

Surviving The Storm

Boy was I unprepared for the sudden rain storm that hit yesterday!  Thank goodness there was an umbrella in the office.  Looking out the window it didn't seem so bad, but the moment I stepped outside it just started pouring buckets.  I haven't seen rain fall like that in a long time.  Wearing just a t-shirt and shorts I clung to that umbrella, but the rain was pounding against it so hard I wasn't sure if it would hold up.  By the time I got home I was a wet mess!

The storms of life are often the same way: sudden, blinding and intense.  You can't help but wonder in the middle of it, "Am I going to make it out of here"?  They come out of nowhere and just descend.  An unexpected car accident, job lay-offs, illness, conflict in relationships, these storms can suddenly descend with a fury that makes us wonder are we going to survive.

"I've never been through a storm that did not pass over".  This is a line from a gospel song; it's so simple and so true.  A few hours after I came home a sopping wet mess yesterday, the rain stopped completely and the sun made a reappearance.  The storm and all it's fury passed over.  Every storm comes to an end regardless of how big, bad or ugly the storm is.  Every storm passes over.

I'm not sure what storms you may be facing in your life at this moment.  I've got a few storms raging right now myself.  Maybe you're dealing with a storm of loneliness, depression or economic hardship.  Whatever the storm is, no matter how strong the wind, no matter how blinding the rain, no matter how loud the thunder, know this: EVERY storm you face in life WILL pass over.

There is life after failure.  There is life after divorce.  There is life after a miscarriage.  There is life a after a cancer diagnosis.  There is life even after your hopes and dreams seem to shatter into a million little pieces.  You will survive the storm.  Let me say it again.  You will survive the storm.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Following The Way,
Kevin

Meeting God in the Storm

On Sunday, August 28 Boston got a taste of Tropical Storm Irene.  I had begun to move from one apartment to another the day before.  Yes I know, bad timing!  I was at my mom's, sitting in her bed upstairs, listening to the wind howl and the rain beat heavily against the window.  It's the same house I grew up in as a child and even in adulthood there is something so comforting about being in my mom's room, wrapped up in her blankets!  From time to time I have trouble sleeping.  There are some nights like last night when I just lay awake for hours, but EVERY time I visit my mom and sneak off into her room I fall asleep, EVERY single time.  I just can't explain it.

Anyway, I was in bed watching TV, so glad to be completely sheltered from the storm when I began to feel the presence of God slip into the room.  It was unexpected, but it should not have been.  I allowed myself to be still for a moment and became aware of the Presence that had always been there.  It happens every time I allow myself to be still.  I thought to myself isn't it just like God to show up in the middle of a storm?  The wind is raging outside, knocking down tree branches and power lines.  The rain is beating against the window as if it really wants to come in and here comes God, quietly, but so surely stepping into the room and meeting me in the middle of the storm.  I began to pray and I began to feel that every single storm I've ever experienced in my life would be used by God to bring out something good, that all of the things I've thought of as burdens God would use them to become sources of blessing for me and for others.

This is the God that I know, the God who is not deterred by raging winds and relentless rain.  The God who is not deterred by your past.  The God who is not deterred by your rage.  The God who is not deterred by your unbelief.  This God will meet you in the storm, whatever storm you may be experiencing in your life right now.  God will meet you there and God will use the very things that came into your life to hurt you to bless you.  The God who turns burdens into blessings will meet you in the storm.

And so I say thank you, even for the winds and the rain, even for the challenges and the obstacles, even for the disappointments and the pain.  If I had never shed a tear than I would have never discovered the God who turns tears into dancing.  And so I say thank you, even for the storm, but most of all for the God who's not afraid to meet me there.

Following the Way,
Kevin