Over the last month, we have seen storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge. Their disarming names belying the carnage they have caused with flooding, scattered leaves, fallen trees and fences knocked down left, right and centre. We lost five panels to Dennis.
During each storm, I have looked out the window seeing the garden trees battling the wind and rain; shaking around like rag dolls at the mercy of the immense power of the wind and the rain. At times I was worried that the wind might be too much for the trees and the ferocity of the storm would cause the trees to snap and fall down. I became fixated on watching their dance waiting for the moment of their failure and demise.
Sometimes in life, we focus only on the things that are causing us to sway. We fixate on the storms that surround us whether they be social media comparisons, society’s pressures, illness, family issues, finance or something else. Like the trees, we tend to allow ourselves to be pushed around and controlled, often disproportionality by these worries.
Deep down I understand that we don’t need to fear the effects of the storms on the trees. The trees don’t have its foundations in the unpredictable and changeable weather but instead have strong roots in good foundational soil and those strong foundations mean there is little risk of falling over, so my worries were unnecessary.
It can be the same in life. We worry about the unpredictable, uncontrollable and often temporary storms of life and forget that we don’t have to put the foundations of our worth in these unreliable and unstable things. For me, I put my trust in the foundations that God supplies. This means that even when, like the trees, I am rocked by the storms of life I can know that I don’t need to fear those storms. My worth and value comes from my foundation in God. This knowledge helps me to stay standing despite the storms of life, I might sway but I will not fall.
We find ourselves in the grip of one of the most major storms that we have ever faced as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to develop. The fact remains though that my belief in a God that is greater and mores sustaining than any storm can and does give me peace in the circumstances.
When I meet people or as the case is now pass them at least 2m apart, that are going through storms in life, I offer to pray for them. Some accept, others decline. When I pray, I may ask God to help, but often I focus on giving thanks for the person and declaring the promise that God cares, God has a plan and a purpose, and He is a place of refuge in the storms of life. You might want to try it yourself sometime. When the storms of life get too much ask the God of the universe to be your foundation.
#trypraying