We had some seriously rainy days and we were closed up in our tiny mobile home. Sometimes life might seem mundane, but looking for ways to find God in our every day lives, even in a closed up home in a town being hit with a storm, we can still enjoy the adventure of this life in Christ. There’s something almost magical about finding the sunshine in the faces of our children, even when the skies outside are filled with clouds. Watching them giggle at silly jokes or kittens stumbling over their paws can be the very moments that are embossed into the pages of our hearts. I am reminded of what Ann Voskamp said in her book, ‘One Thousand Gifts’..
We all experience loss of one kind or another. Our loss might be a home burned by a fire, a pet hit by a car, a dad passing into the next life, or even the loss of sunshine due to a storm. There was a time in my life when I would experience a loss of some kind and it would steal my joy, but now I think of something different. What if we, instead of seeing tragedy as a loss, see it as an opportunity to find God? When a storm in life comes our way lets not look down in despair. Instead, lets look up and see what blessing is coming through that storm! Maybe this is what Paul was talking about.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Maybe there is something more to this love we have in God. Perhaps loving God is looking up in the face of a storm and looking for him. Can we live our lives in the face of storms, looking for Him to reveal something greater in us?
Shall we look down in despair, thinking we are defeated in our loss? Maybe our boldness in Christ gives us the power to look up, stand firm on the Rock, and accept whatever comes our way as an opportunity to discover His greatness in our lives.
This is how I want to view life and how I want to teach my children to view life. I spent far too many years looking down, feeling defeated, and being angry and hurt about the storms that came my way. I put far too much energy into blaming those who hurt me and rejected me. Maybe those people and situations were for my benefit instead of to my demise. Could they have been tools from the Lord to sharpen me? If I look at life from this perspective, then everything becomes a gift from God and instead of wanting to blame, I can give thanks.
*It was only AFTER I wrote this post that I decided to link up with Michelle’s Thought Provoking Thursday and discovered that she also wrote about the storms of life. It’s just so awesome how God works these things out.
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