The second state on our “virtual journey” is the state of Missouri.
I’ve been to Missouri, have you?
The coolness of the Arch. The music and fun in Branson. The beauty of the Ozarks.
Bright city lights and slow country back roads.
Missouri has something for everyone.
Come on, let’s go! Meet me in St. Louis…
I am a bonafide weather geek. No doubt about it. I have NOAA and The Weather Channel on my computer. I love watching Storm Stories and am fascinated by the Weather in Motion maps, so that I am able to track storms in real time. Weather is a tricky business, and it can change at the last second…sparing one area, devastating another. People think they can predict what will happen days in advance…but, it’s all just an educated guess, isn’t it?
I don’t trust the meteorologists. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that they are not God. They cannot know, not really.
Tomorrow the area of the Mid-West that I live in is in the “red zone” for severe weather, dangerous winds, possible tornadoes.
I can “batten down the hatches” at my house. I can listen to the news. I can track the storms on my computer. I can try and be prepared, but I cannot trust that I alone can handle the storms that come my way. I can’t. I never could. Oh, I try, but, ultimately I am defenseless in the wake of the strong winds, crashing waves, and utter darkness of this life.
I do know someone that I can trust. Completely.
The One who can calm storms with the very sound of His voice. Sometimes He chooses to calm the storm and no one gets hurt. At other times the storms rage wild, life is torn to bits, people die. We ask the question that hangs heavy on the brokenhearted…..”God, where are You?”
He is there, in the midst. He never left. He never will.
Tragedy happens in this life. There are few of us that have never wept the tears of grief and pain. It is part of the human condition.
Storms do come. They will continue to come. I choose to cling to the Rock that holds steady through the strongest storms of this broken world.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91
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I heard the rain and wind last night
Only semi-awake in the dark of the night
A fleeting thought of stormy weather
As I changed my sleeping position
I woke to the early morning news of more people hurt
more buildings demolished
more lives destroyed
more people gone…just gone
never to return
Those who have lost so much in the deadly winds
Why them? Why not me?
Is it right for me to give thanks on this Monday, when so many are hurting? Lost? Devastated?
I quietly sit at the table
and stare at my computer screen.
Images from the news seared into my thoughts
My heart aches.
*thankful that more people weren’t hurt or injured
*for friends and neighbors who reach out their hands
*for those who come to help
*for the human spirit
*for not giving up
*for pressing on
*for trying one more time
*for surviving
*for God, who is still there
Some of us have not gone through the utter devastation of a tornado, but we have lost loved ones. Some of us have never huddled through the howling winds, but we have huddled in fear of losing everything from job loss. Some of us have never watched as our house was torn apart, but we understand fire, floods, or theft. We haven’t stood in terror watching the storm approach, but we understand the terror of a deadly diagnosis.
Storms of life come in all shapes and sizes.
I am thankful that God loves us, that He cares for us through ALL of life’s storms.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NIV
What are some things you are thankful for this Monday?
It Just Dawned On Me 