Thursday, May 19, 2011

Struck in a Storm

I had every intention of writing about old people today until about 8:30 this evening, but I guess God had other plans. That topic will have to wait for another day. Today I feel the need to talk about storms (which is funny since the idea for this blog came from a weather forecast). I hated storms when I was little. They scared me to death. If I saw even the smallest speck of green on the little map of Oklahoma on the TV screen I went into a panic, and would be convinced that a tornado was coming to blow me away. I thought I had a “sixth sense” for severe weather. I could just feel it in the air (apparently this is called humidity and many people possess this power of keen weather observation). To put it simply, I had an unreasonable fear of severe weather. Although I still feel a little twinge of anxiety when I hear there is a tornado watch, I really am no longer bothered by storms.
This evening I went to dinner and a movie with some of my dear sisters from my sorority at Oklahoma State University. We walked out of the movie only to be greeted by rain and some pretty ominous lightning. Getting in my car, I realized that I was about to drive straight toward all that lightning and I was about 40 minutes away from my house. It had been quite some time since I had to drive in a storm and I wasn’t in the mood to revisit that experience tonight. I felt that little twinge of fear. Driving towards the lightning, it seemed to only to become more frequent. I had set my iPod to shuffle and the song that came on was “You Hold Me Now” by Hillsong. Here is just a little bit of the song:
“On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace

All my fear is swept away
In the light of your embrace
When Your love is all I need
And forever I am free

Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence healed and whole
Let the songs of heaven rise to you alone

No weeping, no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sick or lame
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now”

As l listened to that song I was reminded of how in the midst of the “storms” of our lives, God is always there to hold us and lead us. Sometimes in life we sit obliviously in the movie theater only to walk out and be surprised by one of life’s storms. We never see the storm coming. Sometimes we have to knowingly drive straight into the storm, because we have no other options. Regardless of where we are at in life, Christ is there to hold us in that moment. This is so comforting to me.

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation, he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” –Psalm 62: 1-2

Driving in this literal storm, I felt a peace surround me. The lightning continued and I was struck (get it?) by the beauty and magnificence of it. God created that lightning and he was in control of it. No matter what I go through in life, God reminded me through this storm that he holds me and he is control of the situation. He is my “abundant sunshine” through it all.

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