Storms in your life can bring both destruction and joy

Good morning my friends, I pray this day is going well for you and that you are amped up for a wonderful weekend and doing something nice for YOU. I am beyond excited for my little wedding tomorrow evening, and am so thankful and overwhelmed by all of the well wishes from so many. I have loved Wayde for a long time and am so blessed to have him in my life. I pray that each of you will feel the love I feel for him and he for me, it is some pretty amazing stuff! We have weathered some pretty intense storms and the lesson learned is that we CAN remain strong, supportive and filled with hope through anything! God thank you for allowing me to have such a faith filled man in my life. 

In my morning chat with God this morning I thanked him over and over again for allowing me the knowledge that someone can love me for me, someone can totally care about my well being and take care of me when I am not up to par. I thanked him for giving me the blessing of a man who is strong in his faith and is not afraid or ashamed to share his love he has for God and for Jesus Christ. I thanked him for each of you who never cease to amaze me with your inspiration and your encouragement. God bless my loved ones with an abundance of peace, love, and understanding this day! I continue to lift those in need of healing, asking God to touch your affected parts today and bring them back to strength and wellness. I prayed for all who are struggling with the loss of loved ones asking God to bless you with comfort in your hearts. I ask for blessings, mercies and favors for all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

I love this story and its meaning...Each of us has been through a storm or two in our lives, for some it has been a thunderstorm for some a massive hurricane...no matter the severity of the storm we have all been through one or twenty and we have come out stronger and more spirit filled than before. Don't tell God about your storm...tell your storm about YOUR GOD!!!

In the Darkness of The Storm

The leaves are still turned away, left there by the force of the wind. Perhaps even afraid to face the gentle breeze that now embraces them. Branches once scattered, are now gathered in one spot. Bits and pieces of what once was still cling to the memory of it. 

The plants and trees took the brunt of the storm. 

What about me? 

Sometimes it doesn't take much to cause confusion and the feeling of being lost. Any slight interruption in routine always has a ripple effect on me. 

But this was more than slight for most people. They are still dealing with the aftermath. 

I am pretty much back to normal... I'm sorry. I had to pause for a moment after writing that. The one thing I'm not now or ever have been is..."normal." 

So, you would think that a hurricane would fit in to my life just fine. It didn't. 

It disrupted it. It was an inconvenience. All we lost was power. Oh, and most of the contents of our refrigerator. 

That's okay. It needed cleaning anyway. 

Still losing power meant losing my connection to the world. Losing power meant I never really knew what was going on with you. 

The truth is I loved the hurricane. Not the destruction, certainly not the loss of life, nor the financial impact it had on so many, but the storm itself. 

I stood just outside my door and watched the distant trees begin to sway, then bend as the unseen force of God's creation swept into my world. The rain pelted my face but I could not feel the sting they so often spoke about. If it were not the for flying debris or fear of falling branches, I would have stood in the middle of it all and let Irene have her way with me. 

As evening approached and the last hopes of the return of electricity faded, we began to light candles. 

It should have been romantic. I always associate candles with celebrations and romance. 

This evening the candles were fighting fear. The fear of darkness. The fear of the howling winds. 

But I am not afraid of the dark. I am more afraid of the light sometimes. What you can't see in darkness pales in comparison to the light of reality. 

Just before going to bed I walked outside into the night and instead of worry I found joy. The clouds had passed and before me the universe waited. Although we are far from a city, the lights of the world have dimmed the view of the millions of tiny lights I remembered in my youth. 

With the street lights off I could see the world as in my childhood and but stood there at such an age as to deeply appreciate it all now. I pointed and called out their names..."There's the big dipper!" I said. My eyes were wide open in a child-like gaze, the way I want them to be now at 61. I must have said "awesome" a dozen times. 

Like a school boy begging his mother to let him stay up, my heart beat faster and faster at the prospect of simply standing there until sunrise. 

I didn't. Now I wish I had. 

A few days passed and the power returned. In a sense I wished it hadn't. I turned on the television and saw the destruction in my own community. With mixed emotions I, on one hand, ached for the people who lost so much and on the other hand saddened by the fact that I found more joy in darkness than in the light that day. 

Perhaps this was the lesson here. "A lesson from the storm?" you may ask. 

Yes, every event carries with it something to be learned. 

Storms in your life can bring both destruction and joy. It all depends on how prepared you are and what you choose to see in the darkest hours.