Passing Storms

Yesterday and today have been absolutely gorgeous sunny days...a far cry from what the weather was like two weeks ago when we were hammered by ferocious winter storms. 

Walking through my neighborhood yesterday morning, I soaked up the glorious sunshine that was working to take the chill out of the morning air and I was struck by the contrast. Two weeks ago, we were right in the middle of some really dangerous weather that caused so much damage in our area.  And yet there I was, a mere 14 days later, soaking up the sun. 

But as I walked through our neighborhood, there was no denying that we had recently been through a major storm.  Trees are still  leaning and scarred by broken branches.  Sidewalks are piled high with mounds of fallen trees and branches, waiting to be cleared away.  The landscape of our neighborhood has been changed by the storms.

As I picked my way past these countless piles of brokenness and change, I was reminded that this life is full of storms that we must walk through.  And while we are in the midst of them, it sometimes feels like they will never end. 

Yet, today's sunshine reminded me that, no matter how bad the storms are or how long they may last, there will come a time when they have  passed, and life will go on.  We will probably not be the same people that we were before the storm and the landscape of our lives may have drastically changed, but sunshine will come again.

If you are in the middle of one of life's storms right now, I pray that you be encouraged to keep fighting the fight and hang on to the knowledge that one day, the storm will pass. And most importantly, know that you don't have to go through the storms alone. God has promised to walk through them with us and to sustain us until we walk in sunshine once again.