Stormy seasons create many conditions. It may be marked by snow, hail, hurricane, tornadoes, lightning, strong winds, ice, thunder, or dust storms. Do you recall your parents or grandparents making you turn off the TV and radio during a lightning and thunderstorm? During the midst of a storm how often have you heard seniors say “God is doing his work?”
There are people who refuse to talk on the telephone during storms. I once called a friend during a storm. She started screaming at me to get off the telephone. She told me don’t ever call her when it is lightning and thundering because it is dangerous. We could get struck and killed she said.
I was amused from an email message I received several years ago from my niece. On a return airplane trip from Phoenix, AZ to Las Vegas, NV there was a storm, and later during the flight they hit major turbulence entering Phoenix. Now I am sure my niece didn’t think the series of events, from the beginning boom they initially heard to the final descend, was a laughing matter. As I read through her message I roared with laughter at many of her statements.
She said people were hysterical, “more than half of the people were crying and cussing.” She mentioned how she prayed to God, Vishnu and even Buddha. She said, “It is amazing what people talk about in these situations.”
Possibly a percentage of the people believed the end had drawn near, some probably prayed silently and believed that God was with them during the midst of the storm, they knew in their heart of hearts that it would be okay once they came through the storm.
I recall being on a flight during a storm. The pilot flew a far distance around the storm as much as he could, and we could still see the series of events in the sky. It actually looked like a 4th of July fireworks show. The guy seated behind me told of an airplane incident he experienced during a storm. The plane was right in the middle of a lightning storm and the pilot flipped the plane upside down to get out of the storm. He said it was a terrible experience. People were screaming at the top of their lungs but the pilot carried them safely through to landing.
How do you respond when storms appear in your life? Do you consult family members or friends for advice? Do you go to a solitary place within your soul and speak to God? Do you respond in fear? Are you afraid of death or do you have faith, knowing for sure that your soul would go to Heaven to be with the Lord? Mr. T said, “Most people want to go to Heaven, but no one wants to die.”
Do you recall the Biblical incident of Jesus and his disciples at sea? A storm arose while Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. The disciples became fearful and awoke Jesus. And, what did Jesus say? Mark 4:20 says, “And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”
As I recall from reading the Bible, Jesus is always commanding us to have faith. He didn’t say have faith some of the time. He asks us to have faith all the time. Different techniques work for each of us. What works for me is to look beyond what I’m going through. Look straight through to the results, the outcome, I expect. To exercise my faith, I never look in the eye of the storm because that causes me to worry and then doubt. What about you? If you look in the eye of the storms you experience during life, what emotions do you feel?
And, when you are in the midst of storms, whether actual physical lightning and thunderstorms or the storms of life such as losing a job, losing a loved one, getting a divorce, or other unpleasant events, recall what Jesus asked of the disciples, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”
Instead of sulking, moaning, and fearing, find a solitary place to pray, meditate, talk to God, and ask for His guidance to lead you through. Ask for comfort, especially if you want to experience peace during the midst of the storm.
