Storms

The other day as we turned down the road that leads into our neighborhood, the weather instantly went from bright and sunny into full-blown wind whipped pounding rain. No warning. No subtle transition. No gradual change. I mean in an instant the storm hit with fury. But even in the storm I could see pockets still of sunshine and blue sky. As we drove down our road we were surrounded by both the power of an isolated storm and slivers of the sun. 

Suddenly right in front of us was the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen. And most of the time I've only seen partial rainbows but this one seemed to have a definitive beginning and ending right in front of us.

Like it was just for us.

It reminded me of several years ago when we were doing a lot of testing trying to get a diagnosis of what Jon Alex's special needs were. We had been to Vanderbilt in Nashville for an appointment. The doctor had informed us she wanted to do an MRI looking for a possible brain tumor.

On the 90 minute drive back to Cookeville I couldn't speak. The emotional storm clouds rolled in and my world got dark. My thoughts and emotions swirled in my head and I couldn't get my lips to stop quivering or my tears to stop flowing.

Outside the car a real storm rolled in and we drove home in the pounding rain.

I was praying, reciting scriptures, and reminding myself that God is with us even in the storms. Suddenly, the weather had changed and just outside my car window a rainbow unfurled from heaven.

I knew that one was for us. It was God reminding us that He never said in this life that we won't have trouble, pain, or suffering. But He did promise never to leave us or forsake us.

Time after time in my life now, even in the midst of the biggest storms of raising our child, we have caught little glimmers of God's presence.

Just like rainbows in a storm, God has sent us reminders of his faithfulness, protection, provision, and goodness- even in the middle of the biggest trials and struggles.

I often wonder how much I would notice or even appreciate those nuggets of God's presence in my life if I didn't have to persevere through storms?

God has taught me so much by my surrendering my circumstances to Him and asking Him to use them--far more than I could ever learn by Him simply removing the trials out of my life altogether.

God will do amazing and incredible things in our life and walk with Him if we yield our circumstances asking Him to use them instead of asking Him to remove them.