My husband's mind works in strange and weird ways, segueing from the topic at hand to a seemingly random, totally unrelated thought. When I ask where that thought came from he has never failed to take me on a journey through the bizarre and fascinating world of Jeff, and without fail he leads me - point by point - from one place to another.
I can never remember if he's the one from Venus or Mars, but I am sure that I will never fully understand the intricate workings of his brain. I begin to fear, however, that he's rubbing off on me a little. I took a trip like this all by myself today, hence this blog post...
The weather has been bad here for the past thirty-six or so hours with rain, winds, some hail nearby, and a tornado or two. I was coming out of the drug store headed to my car when I saw a woman standing by her car brushing her hair. It was gorgeous. Long, wavy, thick, red - absolutely stunning. It was also whipping around like a rag doll on the end of a fire hose. The wind was blowing from several directions all at once, and there she stood trying her best to brush her hair into some kind of orderly do.
That sight triggered a thought about people who are extremely intelligent but don't have the sense to come in out of the rain which triggered another thought...
How many times do we as Christians try to stand in the storms of our lives and tame everything around us all by ourselves? We keep thrashing around, pushing harder and harder, trying to work faster, be better, holier, more worthy, anything to make the storm stop. We wear ourselves out trying to set our best spiritual knowledge and skills to the task of fixing the storm raging in our lives.
We have memorized scripture which we quote passionately and loudly.
We have prayers for every possible situation we might face.
We go to church every time the doors are open.
We give to the church and to the community.
We are very sophisticated Christians...
We just don't have the sense to come in out of the rain.
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2
Life is full of storms, big and little. We can't avoid them; we can't stop them or even slow them down. Sometimes all we can do is hang on until they blow themselves out.
One thing we can do, however, is take a moment as the storm rages to shift our focus from the storm itself to the One who has calmed the sea with His hand. Peter walked on the water - as long as his focus was on Jesus. When he started watching the waves he began to sink.
Whatever storm rages in your life right now: a sick child, money problems, a bad marriage, loss of a job, trauma, whatever it is, take some time to shift your focus from your storm to your Savior.
Psalm 91 is a great place to start. Let the words and the promise of God tame the fear in your heart and replace it with the assurance that nothing you suffer will be in vain, and that you will never walk through the storm alone.
There is a time to stand in the storm and struggle, and then there is a time to come in to the shelter for a little while. Do you need to come in for a while and rest? There's no time like the present.
Slip into the shelter. Dwell there for a while. Rest in the shadow where it is cool and quiet. Be reminded that your heart can trust in the God who is your refuge.
Do it right now.
I am praying for you.
Sherri
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