Storms of Life - Perspective is Everything

 

Do you look at clouds like these and see God's hand in the things we take for granted every day?

I never want to lose that wonder of seeing nature and it reminding me that we 

have the most creative Heavenly Father. 

 

It was a random Friday night and I had just gotten home from work. On the days I work, I usually don't cook. We either grab something out of the fridge or pantry. But that night I was hungry for a burger, so we took a little ride down the road to the burger place and ordered burgers and fries. The place was pretty busy (it was a Friday night, after all), so it took longer than we thought it would. But as we were heading home, this was our view. I grabbed my phone and stated taking pictures of the clouds. 

A few days later I'm thinking about these clouds and the fact that they were probably generated by one of the recent storms brewing south of us. From our perspective, it was a beautiful sight, filled with wonder, but no danger. But, for the people who came from the area where the storms were raging, they probably had a different perspective than we did. Maybe it felt ominous, threatening, and even a little scary, as big storms do. 

This reminds me of life and the storms we go through. Everyone's perspective is different, based off your previous experience. We've had some storms in our life over the past few years and I can honestly say, I am a little worse for wear these days. Little things scare me, where before, they were just little things. 

I heard it said best on a podcast this week..."My faith has been shaken, even though I've grown." And that's exactly how I would describe it. My faith was tested this past year and yes, the growth is there and I saw God work and move and am still in awe of what he is capable of doing, not to mention, willing to do for his children. But the storm that brought the growth left a mark that won't quickly be forgotten, even though we made it through. 

But the other side of that coin is that storms we live through help us to comfort others and have compassion where we may have never had it before. 

I love the verse that says...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our troubles, 

so that we can comfort those in any trouble 

with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 

2 Cor. 1:3-4

I've always loved that verse because it tells me that there is purpose in our suffering. Trials and growth aren't always just about us. I believe that God has purpose and reasons for everything he allows and what better way to use your growth, than to comfort someone who is coming behind you, trying to survive their own storm?

I remember the first time my husband got laid off from a job (good old healthcare), and we were young and scared. The ones who brought the greatest comfort were the older men at church, who had walked through years of jobs and taking care of their families. Their experience and wisdom meant so much to us as they reassured us that we would be fine and that this too shall pass. They were right! We made it through that first lay off and faced many more over the years and guess what? We are still here, making it!

I think that's the importance of sharing our testimonies with others and being willing to step into a storm with someone and give them support in their suffering. We can't always fix their problems, but we can point them to the Father who has comforted us, while we also suffered. 

Recently one of my grandchildren needed some medical attention and it brought back memories of what it felt like to be a young mom with a sick child. It's so stressful and all-consuming. The only thing you can focus on is getting that child back to good health. You just want them to feel good again. And truthfully, that worry never stops; even when your children are grown! But having lived through the fevers and late nights, I can say that we made it and with each incident, we became a bit more aware of what to do and how to react to certain situations. We grew and God was there as we lived through it. 

Storms are hard. Some scare us, some break us, some make us strong and some make us bitter. But through it all, God is still at work and his desires for us are still pure and good and he will get us through, one way or another. 

And hopefully there will be friends and family there to stand beside us, giving us the reassurance that this storm will soon pass and the view from the other side will be totally different. 

In the meantime, be that for someone else. Take inventory of your own growth and notice when the Lord brings someone into your life that is going through something similar. That's not a coincidence. It's a divine appointment to share the comfort you received with the one who needs it next. 

Until Next Time...

Blessings!