It's always pretty ironic when after a severe storm the weather becomes so beautiful with the sun shining, a clear sky and comfortable temperatures. This is exactly what happened this past week with Hurricane Irene hitting us with severe winds and rain causing a lot of damage. (We pray for all those that lost a loved one, were injured or are struggling from the damages of Irene. You are on our hearts.) It was so amazing to see how beautiful and peaceful the weather became the rest of the week....perfect summer days! This topic may sound a little trite, but it's a topic that influences my own personal life so I pray that it may also encourage you if you are going through a "storm" in your life right now.
We all go through "storms" in our life at one point or another. It may have happened in your past, it may be happening right now or you may go through it in years to come. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, financial difficulties, struggles with family, job or school, or life just doesn't seem to be happening the way you want it to or imagined it would.......be encouraged, there is a calm after the storm! God tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:" and 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time." The struggles we face are not intended to harm us or discourage us, they are intended to make us stronger, to grow us in character and stir us to depend more on God than on ourselves. It's not the struggles that we go through that mature us, it's the choices we make through and after the struggles that reveal our maturity. It's not always easy, but once we trust the work that God is doing in us and hold on to the hope of His perfect plan in our lives, we begin to see His beauty in us and around us. Living for God should not be based on our joys, our struggles or our emotions. We must trust Him simply because HE IS GOD! I pray that each one going through a storm right now would be blessed with peace, comfort and strength. Keep on the lookout....there is a calm of some beautiful summer days coming your way!
Isaiah 43:19 "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."
