Embracing the Storm

Life is full of both opportunities and challenges. That is one way to see it. Another way is to see life is as a series of problems interspersed with fun and pleasure and rest. The thinking goes that if we can just get through the next problem, get the frustration to stop, or solve the issue that plagues us, then we have a better chance of experiencing what we want, which is fun and rest.
 
But, more and more I am seeing this approach as completely wrong. We all face storms and waves and scary moments. We all face things that we are unsure of. What will the future hold? How will we find provision? What does God have in store for us? If we see these questions as things to be solved so we can get to the life we always wanted, we miss what God wants to show us in the moment, namely Himself.
What if the beauty is found in the midst of the storm? What if God’s best for us is not getting us to a place of rest and relaxation but in actually training us to enter the battle and find Him there with the love and hope that we need? With Himself? Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” No matter the storm, if we are in God’s presence, there is joy and beauty. Sometimes, we find God in the midst of the crashing waves and the storm. Sometimes the beauty that we seek is hidden in the midst of the trial that we are trying to escape or just get through instead of in what we perceive to be the pleasure and satisfaction that we seek out of life.
God’s way is better. God is sovereign. He is committed to our sanctification and to us being conformed to the image of Christ. He is also committed to us treasuring Him above all things and learning to worship Him in everything. He is committed to revealing His beauty and worth to us. But, He is also often hidden beyond the obvious. He sometimes calls us to seek Him in places that we would not expect Him to be. I pray that you will seek and find God this summer and that you would seek Him with all your heart. And find Him.
- Copied