Walking through a storm

I was looking at a picture today of the ocean during a storm. The clouds were low and black. The waves were lapping upon the beach. No one was walking on the beach due to the storm. Yet, somehow I felt peaceful looking at this picture.

I love the oceans and the beaches. When I walk on the beach, with every step I take I know that beach is made up of trillions of speck size pieces of sand. Not just on top where I walk, but way down. No telling how many miles down. I am in awe of the wonders of that great big ocean and those tiny little pieces of sand that make up miles upon miles of beach. I am in awe of the great big God that designed and made these wonders.

While looking at this picture, I am reminded of the storms of life. Some are little, some are big. Some we make bigger than they really are, and some are so big we don't know if we can or will survive them.

The small storms whip a few drops of frustraton or anger upon us. Some come in the form of someone hurting our feelings or just plain making us mad. Some come from us trying so hard to accomplish something, and it seems that with every step we take, something or someone stands in our way. I have found that most of the time I'm in my own way. Some may come in the loss of our job, or, not being promoted when we think we should be, or a million other life situations.

For the most part we become better for this kind of storms.

Then there are the huge storms. The F5s. These storms rip the very heart out of us and torment our mind. These are the storms that, without the help of our heavenly father, we cannot survive. The waves wash over us like a tsunami and drown us in hurt, sadness, loneliness and other feelings we didn't even know existed. These storms leave us with the feeling of being lost forever in this storm. If we aren't careful, they will leave us in the aftermath of bitterness.

We can't see the sun popping though the clouds or the beautiful sunrise or the lovely sunset. We are so lost in this great big storm. This storm has beaten upon us so hard that our very being is numb. Our mind won't function and our body doesn't listen to us.

All of us have felt the little storms of life and come through like troopers. Many have been through the big storms. Many didn't make it through. Many made it through but with scars and emotions not intact. There are those of us who haven't been through the "big ones", but we have gone through them with loved ones. While we don't feel the harsh waves slap against us the same way they do to the ones in the storm, we do feel those hits very badly.

When you love someone so deeply and a big storm hits them, you are hit also. It becomes your storm. You, too, are being whipped around with those big waves, and sometimes they disable and confuse you. You try to rescue those in the storm. You go wading into the deep, trying with all your might to pull them out; but we can't. We are too small to conquer this one. It takes a much bigger force than us. It takes God. He and He alone can get someone through these storms. Friends and family can help, but only to a point. Then we must back off and put the storm-weary into His hands. The storm-weary in these cases also include us.

I tell the people I love who have been through these F-5 hurricanes of life, "we will never get over it, but we can get through it, but only with the help of our heavenly father." However, we must let him. I know for me, sometimes it is nearly impossible to turn something this big over to him. The key words hereare "nearly impossible".

Scripture tells us in Mark 9:23, "All things are possibe to him who believeth." And again in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ whichstrengtheneth me."

Getting back to the first paragraph where I said I felt peaceful looking at the picture. There is a reason for my feeling that peace. It is in Philippians 4:7 which says, "and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

REMEMBER: "The Lord will give strength unto his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace." Psalms 29:11

See ye next time somewhere in the korner.

You may contact me at kdover28@gmail.com or 573-820-2404.