Brutal Winds

Life can be really difficult sometimes.  It seems when the storms in my life have subsided, there are family and friends who are going through brutal winds.  Because I care for them, I feel it too.  Even as I write this, thunder is rumbling.  People are either having the time of their lives, steady and stable, experiencing a temporary dreadful low, or have a chronic condition which affects them daily. 
 
I was enjoying a moment of peace one evening and watching a show where an extremely well-to-do couple was fixing up an old house.  They were upset that they were going to have to tear out and replace a historic staircase because of termite damage.  I burst into uncontrollable laughter!  There was nothing humorous about that, but it struck me funny.  I have been through enough in life that problems with a staircase of any kind seem so trivial.  I certainly did not judge them for what they thought was so important and I recognize it was a television show.  But, when death and suffering, hunger and debt, divorce and disability, addiction and narcissism, chronic pain and family strife are all around me, I just wasn’t able to relate to a simple house renovation problem and the "seriousness" attached to it.
 
So what do we do with the storms of life and the storms in our loved ones lives?  Unfortunately, so much of life is made up of things we can’t control.  This is not to say that our choices in life don’t have consequences because they do.  But regarding the issues that are beyond our control…recognize that there is little or nothing you can do to fix it.  Do good for others when you are able.  Serve and encourage and lift others up.  Be supportive.  More than anything, though, pray.  Whether it is your problem or someone else’s, give it to God.  Weep before His throne.  Pour out your innermost thoughts, desires, and worries.  He is your Father.  He is the Fixer.  He knew the outcome before time began.  He’s got this – whatever it is.  And when bitterness starts creeping in, give that to Him too.  Tell Him how you feel and let His love melt away the sadness and bitterness.  Once you have given it all to Him in prayer, sit in a moment of gratitude for what you have.  Are your hands and feet functioning well?  Is your family happy and healthy?  Do you have a roof over your head?  Were you able to eat 3 meals today?  Finally, do something to bless someone else.  This will take your mind off the worries you have.  When you are focused on someone in need of a blessing, chemicals are released in your brain that make you happy.  Helping others is a double blessing. 
 
If it weren’t for the brutal winds in my life, I wouldn’t be the person I am today and for that I am grateful.  It sure is hard when bad things happen, but I continue to trust that God is the Great I Am and I am His child and servant whom He loves beyond measure.
 
Hoping your storms are still for now,
Celeste
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”  Matthew 4:39
 
Dedicated to all those in my life who are weathering storms right now.  My thoughts and prayers are with you.