Whatever the Weather

 Today

I opened my eyes at 7:23 a.m., delighted by the bright light streaming into the master bedroom of the condo. I hurried toward the great room. It, too, was bathed in light so bright that I squinted my eyes when I looked toward the east-facing section of the floor-to-ceiling windows that surrounded the room on three sides. The only sound I heard was the gentle lapping of the surf against the shore.

Last Night

But last night... Oh, my goodness! The wind shrieked around the exterior walls. It shoved two of the lighter-weight balcony chairs against the windows and banged them until my husband fought against it to bring the chairs inside. The wind created white caps on the normally calm waters of our portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Lightning flashed in the inky black sky. Rain pelted the windows. Even the water in the toilet bowls swirled slightly as the storm raged against the high-rise condo--as well as against everything and everyone in its path.

Today

Thankfully, after several hours, the storm passed. By God’s grace, my husband and I are safe and are anticipating a beautiful day here at the beach.

Reflections

The storm and the stillness, the darkness and the sunshine, the fear and the calm…are part of life, aren’t they? Whichever one we're experiencing at the moment will, at some point, be replaced by its opposite. By God’s grace, we transition from one to the other, trusting Him to be with us no matter life's current “weather.”

As I reflect on that, I remember a quote I'd read the day before the storm released its fury:

 I am not in control, but I am deeply loved by the one who is.

--Glenn Packiam

And I do believe, as I hope you do, that God has everything under control, even the storms of life. And as my mama used to say, “Whether He spares or shares, He will be there.” His presence with us makes ALL the difference—whether we’re experiencing storms or sunshine.

Note: To read my previous posts about storms, click here and here

Stand By Us!

With Hurricane Irma so much in the news, my heart is heavy for those whose lives have been so disrupted and those who will lose so much during the violent storm.

The Holy Spirit brought to mind the words of a song I’ve known and loved since childhood. “Stand By Me” was written by the Rev. Charles Albert Tindley in the early 1900’s, but his words continue to be timely ones.

As the hurricane rages, let’s offer these words from that hymn as a prayer to God:  “Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me [by us].” That’s also a wonderful prayer when we’re buffeted by all sorts of storms, such as those Rev. Tindley mentions in the other verses.

To listen to a portion of his wonderful song, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTHaOEZjBpc

To read all the verses, click here: https://hymnary.org/text/when_the_storms_of_life_are_raging_stand