Skip to main content

The Storm IS Over

Photo by: Nikolas Noonan

"When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever."  Proverbs 10:25

After a natural storm subsides, there is always a cleanup process.  The same is true in life, in circumstances that seem as tumultuous as tornadoes.  Much like the force of destructive cyclones, we have been through whirlwinds of hardships, heartaches, death, grief, and devastating loss that has broken lives and scattered debris.  With our houses obliterated, our trees uprooted, our lives upended, we sit in the eerie silence that follows trying to regain some semblance of control.  We take a deep breath, put on our tall, rubber boots, and begin sifting through the muddy gunk left behind.  Within days, and sometimes even within hours, we find the clouds have moved out, and the sun is shining on the remaining vegetation generously watered by the drenching rain allowing spurts of new growth.  The birds are chirping, and a new life begins.  

In 2004, Hurricane Ivan, the 10th most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, swept through the land and the river rose to flood my home with nearly 6 ft of water.  Everything destroyed.  I remember thinking, this is how total devastation feels.  Then, as quickly as the waters rose, they began to recede. Life seemed to continue for others while I was left behind trying to salvage anything of value. During that time, though, I was able to see that God does restore.  In a little while, I was living in a new, nicer place, driving a new vehicle, mothering a sweet newborn baby, and reporting every morning to a new job that came with a raise and a promotion.  

Photo by: Alexander Shustov

God does allow storms to come to break up those things in our lives that keep us from progressing.  We become stronger, wiser.  We learn to place a priority on the truly valuable things in our lives that we often take for granted.  Sometimes, the storms even force us to make a move out of our comfort zone, redirect our path, and birth something new.  Most importantly, trials come to sweep away the wicked in our lives, in ourselves, enabling us to soar higher free from the weight of what we leave behind.

So, be of good cheer and cling to God's promise in Isaiah 43:2:

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you." 

At the end of the day, the waters will not overtake us.  The fire will not destroy us, but rather we will emerge purified.  


The wicked in our lives is gone and we stand firm--we stand RIGHTEOUS.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Joseph: Treasure Chest

I've so enjoyed the study of Joseph, thus far.  For me, it has been much like finding a treasure chest, cautiously opening the lid, peering in trying to see everything the chest holds.  Layers upon layers, depths upon depths, discovering and analyzing every part of his life recounted in the Bible like examining small gemstones or more accurately witnessing the most beautiful diamond being formed amidst the ugliest circumstances.  "Natural diamonds are formed about 100 miles beneath the earth's surface where carbon rich rocks are melted by the heat of the earth's mantle, a layer of liquid lava rock, and are compressed by the enormous pressure of the many miles of earth above them. As the earth churns, the heated rock may move upwards away from the heat and cool over time, which can form diamonds if the conditions are just right. It takes hundreds of thousands of years for the process to take place." (ehow.google)  To simplify--high temperature, high pressur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Porcupine

Photo by Vadym “The porcupine, whom one must handle gloved, may be respected, but never loved.”               ~Arthur Guiterman Those who know me, even those who have followed my blogs, know I have struggled in relationships. Though it is true, many of the hellacious, short-lived relationships were the result of simply picking the wrong people--whether romantic relationships, friendships, even mentors. For this reason, it is particularly important to pray about every aspect of your life, not just "the big things." In all actuality, the simplest details overlooked can thrust you into the most difficult and most painful situations from which to extricate yourself. Often, this is where we experience being blind-sided. Through these tumultuous times, as we all do, I have developed a defense mechanism that I only discovered in the past few weeks. In my prayer time, a revelation came to me so clearly, I may as well ha...
3 comments
Read more

People Pleaser

Hello, my name is Brittni and I am a people pleaser.  They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Today, I realized this has been a huge stumbling block for me.  Many of the situations I have found myself in can be attributed to doing something I didn't really want to do because I thought someone else wanted me to or better yet, needed me to do.  I have compromised my own beliefs, taken responsibility for things that were not my fault, even made untrue assessments about myself all for the pleasing of someone else.  I called it being agreeable, keeping the peace.  Only, I didn't have peace.  How dumb is that? Joyce Meyer writes, "IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ONE THING…Motives… Why are we doing (or not doing) something? Are we being motivated by fear, personal gain or a sense of obligation? Are we being motivated by a desire to be in control, accepted or seen?  These are all the wrong reasons for doing something. Our motive for...
4 comments
Read more