Into The Storm
Storms. Both literal and figurative are foreboding. They trigger a sense of self-preservation, of danger, and of hardship. They provoke our instinct to take cover and seek protection and comfort.
A pastor once said of storms - “you are either in the middle of one, just getting out of one or about to enter one”.
But, what if we are looking at them all wrong? What if we change the trajectory of our beliefs about them?
Storms are unavoidable. It’s true. They are everywhere, and are inescapable. And while true that sometimes they do mirror peril or instability, we can choose a different perspective. Let’s flip the coin and see the other side. Storms are invaluable.
Storms shape us.
Storms break us in all the best ways possible.
Storms peel back our fingers from the wheel.
Storms reveal secondary things we’ve allowed to become ultimate things.
Storms reveal weaknesses and strengths.
Storms reveal areas where we’re not trusting God and areas where we are trusting God.
Storms are invaluable in helping you and I grow more and more as we find and follow Christ. They don’t leave us the same in their wake. We are changed. We are grown, one way or another.
Maybe your storm looks different than mine, but it is just as valuable. Maybe it is someone that was supposed to love you, but didn’t. Maybe it is navigating the waters of unemployment, a diagnosis, childlessness, a wayward family member or friend, or the loss of what might have been in love. Maybe it is finding your way after the death of a loved one.
John 11 holds just such a story. When their brother fell deathly ill, Mary and Martha called for Jesus to come. Fast. Their faith was exemplary in believing that He was the answer - that He could save His dear friend. We’ve seen other stories in scripture where Jesus did just that. He dropped what He was doing, and went to heal the ailing. In this case, however, the pages of John tell us that Jesus “stayed where He was for the next two days” (John 11:6).
Stayed where He was? Was He too busy to go to His friend’s side right away? Were all the flights overbooked? OK, not that one, but you get it. Regardless of how you word it, scripture reflects that it was a decision to wait. Jesus intentionally did not rush to the rescue.
Now, don’t miss the value in the next verses. Jesus arrived to his grieving friends in Judea. Their dismay - even with Him - was evident in their pain. He had waited too late. Jesus’ response? Calmness, love and redirection. He gently guided their gaze to the reason for His life - that He was sent so that whoever believed in Him would not die, but have eternal life. Then…
THEN, and only then did He bring life back to Lazarus’ body.
The impact of what was learned that day was far more valuable than had he intervened earlier. The storm of those days changed the understanding and the hearts of those named and un-named in the story. His purpose was bigger, and was accomplished.
Whatever your storm is, my friend, I guarantee that He can and intends to use it. His goal is always to make us more like him. The chaos of the storm and the lessons in the heartache, battle and scars in the end reveal what would have never been grown had we not endured the struggle.
So, bring on the storm.