I have been driving around the Houston area this week and I was greeted with one of those "motorist information billboards" along the highway that alternated these words:
"Hurricane forming in Gulf"
"Storm forming; Fill your gas tanks"
Wouldn't it be nice if we had these types of warnings in life? Ya' know. You can see the storm coming and can have ample time to prepare or "Fill your gas tanks." I know that in my life, this rarely happens. Usually the storms in my life erupt suddenly and without much warning.
I have been contemplating this storm post for a while and in light of my previous post (and today's billboard), I think now is a good time to bring this up.
Storms can be scary and have a destructive tendency. Homes can be damaged or completely ruined. Storms can potentially ruin our lives. I don't really know anyone that cheers when storm clouds ominously appear on the horizon and then unleash their fury hours later.
I grew up in the upper Midwestern cornfields of Illinois in the western suburbs of the Chicagoland area. I am very accustom to storms- all types of storms. I have experienced tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, droughts, hail, blizzards, ice storms, sleet, rain, windstorms, fog and earthquakes. Yes, even Illinois has earthquakes. I am pretty sure the only things I didn't experience while living in Illinois were hurricanes and volcanoes. I think Chicago weather is like the Bermuda Triangle of the Midwest!
The funny thing about experiencing this crazy mix of weather fury is that storms can be beautiful. Anytime a storm misses where I live, I have the privilege of gazing upon the distant storm clouds with marvel and awe at the majesty of these "cotton mountains." They're terrifyingly beautiful!
I remember one such occasion. I was flying into Austin-Bergstrom Airport coming home from a business trip in Ohio one very stormy night (we Texans have our share of storms too). The pilot had done a great job of maneuvering around some really nasty storms. There was a string of storms stretching from Houston to Chicago that the Gulf Stream used to wreak havoc on the heartland. Tornados were reported all over the central US. As we prepared for landing, I got a good glimpse of some of the storms that were threatening Austin. I sat in my coach class seat admiring the amazing display of power and lights that this storm was producing. It was awesome! The lightening was bouncing all over the thunderhead making it look like it was an overloaded electrical circuit. Sparks were flying from cloud to cloud and streaking across the sky. In the vast darkness of night and the dark void of the storm clouds, these electrical impulses danced around with joy and splendor as they owned the sky. It was a beautiful sight to see.
That made me wonder... I saw the storm as this beautiful display of God's creation and presence but what were the people in the midst of the storm thinking? Were they as awe struck by the beauty as I was? Could they appreciate the awesome display of God's presence in their lives? Or were they reacting like I do in the midst of a storm... worried with self-absorbed preservation wishing that the storm would go away? Which perspective did they choose?
It was during that flight that I came to realize that I don't always possess the perspective necessary to see the storms in my life as beautiful. God does. It is only through trust in Jesus and building a life on the firm foundation on Jesus' teachings that we can begin to see God's perspective on storms.
Honestly, when I am in the midst of the storm, I can sometimes forget that God is displaying his great mercy and love in my life. I can forget that the storm may look beautiful from His perspective. Thankfully, I have been given His Spirit which empowers me to reach out to God and to find peace in Him during those character building times.
"Hurricane forming in Gulf"
"Storm forming; Fill your gas tanks"
"Hurricane forming in Gulf"
"Storm forming; Fill your gas tanks"
Wouldn't it be nice if we had these types of warnings in life? Ya' know. You can see the storm coming and can have ample time to prepare or "Fill your gas tanks." I know that in my life, this rarely happens. Usually the storms in my life erupt suddenly and without much warning.
I have been contemplating this storm post for a while and in light of my previous post (and today's billboard), I think now is a good time to bring this up.
Storms can be scary and have a destructive tendency. Homes can be damaged or completely ruined. Storms can potentially ruin our lives. I don't really know anyone that cheers when storm clouds ominously appear on the horizon and then unleash their fury hours later.
I grew up in the upper Midwestern cornfields of Illinois in the western suburbs of the Chicagoland area. I am very accustom to storms- all types of storms. I have experienced tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, droughts, hail, blizzards, ice storms, sleet, rain, windstorms, fog and earthquakes. Yes, even Illinois has earthquakes. I am pretty sure the only things I didn't experience while living in Illinois were hurricanes and volcanoes. I think Chicago weather is like the Bermuda Triangle of the Midwest!
The funny thing about experiencing this crazy mix of weather fury is that storms can be beautiful. Anytime a storm misses where I live, I have the privilege of gazing upon the distant storm clouds with marvel and awe at the majesty of these "cotton mountains." They're terrifyingly beautiful!
I remember one such occasion. I was flying into Austin-Bergstrom Airport coming home from a business trip in Ohio one very stormy night (we Texans have our share of storms too). The pilot had done a great job of maneuvering around some really nasty storms. There was a string of storms stretching from Houston to Chicago that the Gulf Stream used to wreak havoc on the heartland. Tornados were reported all over the central US. As we prepared for landing, I got a good glimpse of some of the storms that were threatening Austin. I sat in my coach class seat admiring the amazing display of power and lights that this storm was producing. It was awesome! The lightening was bouncing all over the thunderhead making it look like it was an overloaded electrical circuit. Sparks were flying from cloud to cloud and streaking across the sky. In the vast darkness of night and the dark void of the storm clouds, these electrical impulses danced around with joy and splendor as they owned the sky. It was a beautiful sight to see.
That made me wonder... I saw the storm as this beautiful display of God's creation and presence but what were the people in the midst of the storm thinking? Were they as awe struck by the beauty as I was? Could they appreciate the awesome display of God's presence in their lives? Or were they reacting like I do in the midst of a storm... worried with self-absorbed preservation wishing that the storm would go away? Which perspective did they choose?
It was during that flight that I came to realize that I don't always possess the perspective necessary to see the storms in my life as beautiful. God does. It is only through trust in Jesus and building a life on the firm foundation on Jesus' teachings that we can begin to see God's perspective on storms.
Honestly, when I am in the midst of the storm, I can sometimes forget that God is displaying his great mercy and love in my life. I can forget that the storm may look beautiful from His perspective. Thankfully, I have been given His Spirit which empowers me to reach out to God and to find peace in Him during those character building times.
"Hurricane forming in Gulf"
"Storm forming; Fill your gas tanks"
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composed by
dave
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