WOW … what spectacular lightening shows we’ve witnessed here in the south lately! On Saturday night, although there weren’t any tornado threats, we experienced intense thunderstorms with luminous lightning and thunder so loud th
at it shook our house. As I was lying in bed, in awe of the huge bolts of lightning and loud thunder, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t frightening to me. As a child, I was terrified of storms! I wanted to overcome this fear for myself, but I also hoped to never pass this fear down to my boys either. Thankfully, my husband (who always enjoys a good storm) has learned how to calm me during these outbursts of angry weather, and I no longer feel intense anxiety. Howe
ver, lately it’s been hard not to be somewhat scared because we have seen and experienced so much devastation in areas close to our home.
It’s funny … I have become proud of myself at times, because deep down, I know how I have handled these situations in the past. For instance, years ago, my husband and I would literally load our gear onto a boat, go across Lake Ouachita, find a secluded island, and make camp. There were no accommodations whatsoever. (Keep
in mind, this was 15 years ago – pre cell phone/iPhone days and no weather channel app in our hands 24/7.) One particular weekend, we set out for Lake Ouachita with another young couple. Shortly after arriving on the island, the wife of the couple we were camping with suggested that it may storm and she thought we may need to cut the weekend short. The husbands refused! She replied, “Fine, but take me back to the truck … I am going home.” As she got off the boat and stepped onto the dock, she turned to me and begged, “Come with me, April!” Ugh! I felt torn! Even though I was scared of storms, I didn’t want to leave my n
ew husband. (As a wife, I should trust his judgment, right?) Nevertheless, I decided to stay with the guys. After dropping her off at the dock, we headed back out to the tiny island again. Just minutes later, it began to storm severely. The water was white capping as we were
flying across it in the boat.
Long story short … we slept in a tent on an island, dodging lightning bolts all night long. We were awakened when we felt our tents being blown into the water with us in it! Even the guys thought it would be best if we took shelter on higher ground, so
we walked up the mountainside and sat down. I sat there, between two idiots, (I mean men!), under a tarp that they held over the three of us.
Many times that evening, I heard, “Come with me, April!” play over and over in my head. I questioned my decision and wondered how my love for my new husband could be so strong that I was willing to endure this dreadful night. While underneath the tarp, we sat nervously as lightning struck the island … at least it sure felt like it did! (And why tell a dull story! Ha!) The lightening was startling and without thinking, I leapt out from underneath the tarp and began running – as fast as a speeding bullet – to the bottom of the hill on the island. I finally stopped only to turn around to see the guys laughing! They were
wondering where I was going! I am not sure where I was going, but I knew I wasn’t going to stay there!
Fast forward to just a few nights ago … the lightening was so intense and the thunder rattled the house, but I felt cozy under my covers while watching the lightening through the window and awaiting the thunder that was sure to follow. As I said e
arlier, I was amazed that I didn’t even flinch. I began thanking God … my, how far my trust in Him has grown! As much as I may not understand it all, I do trust Him! As much as I hate storms (deep down inside), I am grateful that it does not show on the outside. I love that I can, and have learned to, trust Him in most areas of my life. I appreciate that God has worked through each and every storm that I have endured in my life!
Cleaning up after a storm reminds me of our own lives and decisions. Although the sun may shine afterwards, the destruction and the debris may take days, months, and possibly years to clean up … just like our own consequences of sin. God forgives us of the sin, but we may still have to pay the penalty for our disobedience.
Although I a am not a teacher of any kind, my hope and prayer is that something that I share will help you out in some way. I, truly, could not help being proud of myself while lying in the bed with the intense lightening, realizing (deep down) that years ago, I would have run and not trusted in the Lord; maybe not run literally from the real storm, but from the storms that life brings us. I have confidence knowing that I have learned to trust God and not run from Him!
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