The Storm

The other day it was storming outside, and my little girl
says "mom, I think we may need to go to nanny's and get in
that thing that we have to get into when it's storming outside."
I told her that was not necessary, that Dad and I were watching
the storm ,and we are going to be OK, as long as we are inside
the house. It reminded me of the times I was a little girl.
Everytime a storm would come, we would pile into the cellar.
When I say pile into, I mean 3 or 4 family's in one tiny cellar.
I remember being scared but feeling the safety of the walls
around me and the people that surrounded me. We would often pray
for our friends and family we could not get in touch with, and hoped
they heeded the same warnings we did to protect themselves from the
storm. Warning signs are everywhere, first you have the God given signs
of darks clouds, thunder, lightening, strong winds, then come the man
made warnings of sirens, and T.V. and radio.
I remember the comforting sounds of my parents voices, as
they would tell us everything was going to be OK. When things seemed
a little calm, my dad would peek his head out of the storm door to
see if it was safe for us to come out. Sometimes he closed the door
and said, the storm is not over yet, the sirens are still sounding
and it seems like something is coming up just south of us. I remember
opening the storm cellar door after a tornado had went through. Even though
we were safe, you wondered what damage the storm had left behind. It
wasn't always pretty, but we had each other and God had his hand over us.
One thing I know for sure, the longer the storm and the more fierce the
storm,the worse the damage was that was left behind. The longer a twister is
on the ground, the more homes and lives it will destroy.
I say that to make my point. Some storms in our life are not ones that
have taken us by surprise. Warning signs were everywhere and we choose not
to heed the signs that were given. Some people choose to get caught up
in the storm instead of taking refuge from you it. Whatever storms are
in your life, God is your refuge and your strength and an ever present
help in the time of trouble. God is our refuge, as you will read Psalms 31.
If you are in the midst of a storm, it is not too late to pray for God's
guidance.