Storms

I am finding that I look forward to this moment on a regular basis. The moment where I sit down with my cup of coffee and start to blog. It helps me reflect on what God is teaching me. It helps me put in to words what I am feeling, and it has helped me realize that I have a heart for sharing what God is doing in my life! It is my own personal little place of healing and growth. Who would have ever thought that God would choose to use the tool of blogging to reach me- I guess God would have.
I have been reading through 1 Peter in my quiet times, and as I have posted earlier a lot of 1 Peter is about suffering and trial. Trial and suffering are two things very close to my heart. I understand that might sound strange, but I am going to explain.
This weekend in the midst of a wedding celebration I ran into an old friend, and right there at the reception we began to talk about the storm that she has been walking through in her life. She has been struggling with the storm of infertility and miscarriage. I was moved by the pain she was going through. A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a co-worker about her husband's diagnosis of kidney failure and his treatment options. I was struck by the storm ahead of her and by the overwhelming need to support her. I sat at church this morning and watched people tear up as our pastor preached on, what else, storms!! I thought about what the pain in their lives might be.
See, storms, pain, and suffering happen to us all. We are either coming out of a storm, going into a storm, or are in the middle of a storm. At this point it looks depressing, but what moves me about storms is Jesus in the midst of them.
I have never known the heart of Jesus more than when I have been in the middle of a storm. We read in Matthew 7: 24-27 today. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." My house before suffering was built on sand, but after the first storm of life came and knocked it down God has been slowly rebuilding it on rock. I finally have faith that can withstand the storms of life. What happens to the people who don't have that faith?
We then looked at Matthew 8: 24-26 "Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."
Just one chapter before God was warning us to build our faith on rock and not on sand, so that we are safe in the storms. The next chapter blew me away. First of all, the storm came without warning- isn't that just like life? We think we are smooth sailing and then out of no where life throws you a curve ball and you are in the middle of a storm you didn't see coming. Jesus is physically with the disciples at this point, and they think He is going to sleep right through their storm and they panic! Doubt immediately follows. Isn't that just like me? But what Jesus does next is the miracle- in one second he makes it- completely calm. Probably with just one word.
So, what this left me with was a burning desire to share the Jesus that is with me with others. I have been asking myself why it is easier for me to share my faith now? Because I have been through storms, and I have been with Jesus, and with a word he has completely calmed my soul. What do people do who don't have that? Where do they turn when their faith that is built on sand is destroyed and they are left facing the storm alone? I want so badly for people to know the Jesus that I have met. Being a believer and knowing Jesus intimately doesn't promise that there will not be storms. But being in a storm with Jesus is quite amazing, and the only way I can survive.
I have been moved, disturbed to action, and grown through storms. I finally get what 1 Peter has been teaching me "But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." I can rejoice that because of suffering I can relate to the rest of the world. I can minister to anyone because everyone goes through storms. I can see the need for Christ that people have. I can know Christ better. That is something to rejoice about!