605 When Things Go to Crap

Few people eagerly anticipate the storms of life. Storm chasers are psycho! The storms come, we hunker down, we hold our breath, we wish it away, and then when the storm passes we breathe again. We all would prefer a storm free life. A perfect life where all things go perfectly as planned. But honey, those two words don’t go together: perfect – life. Yesterday a BIG Life girl shared with me how she had a mini-meltdown over spilled pancake batter and an epic mess. She said she was in the middle of her pancake crisis, then heard her own words coming out of her mouth and realized those two words don’t go together: pancake – crisis. No, there’s no such thing. It’s like perfect & life. Nope. They don’t match. This is life and life is filled with storms. It’s the lost job, the bad news, the health scare, the uncertain future, the hard days, the long nights, the worry, the stress, the hardship. You’re either in a storm, just came out of a storm, or a storm is coming. Face it, embrace it and girl get better in the storm! There was a time when all 3 of our kids were teens at home and it was constant chaos. It was a rare and celebrated occasion when all 3 were in a good mood at the same time and on a single day no one was causing trouble. My husband and I would literally recognize it as a miraculous moment of stillness, knowing the next storm would be coming soon, that’s just the reality of raising 3 teens. Now that they’re grown and they freely share their confession sessions with us, we realize those moments of calm weren’t perfection after all, they had just upped their game and gotten sneaky. If you’re waiting for the storm free time to enjoy your life, you’re missing the majority of your life. If you’re waiting for the way to be clear before trying again, you’re missing the fact that Jesus can always be found IN the storm. It is the rain in the storm that makes things grow. The storm is where you grow. This is where you get better. What a gift to be in life’s gym where you are being stretched and strengthened so you can come out better. Understanding this, doesn’t the storm represent God’s faith in you? Doesn’t it show he believes in you so he allows you to be pushed so you discover what he put in you? Maybe this storm hasn’t been sent to break you, it’s here to make you. Make you see who you were really created to be. Make you understand the potential God has placed within you. Make you tap into the strength only God can offer. Make you rely on Jesus, because in the storm that’s all you’ve got. Or maybe this storm isn’t about turning your life upside down. I mean it sure seems like it. It seems like everything is being ruined in this mess, but what if instead it’s clearing the path. The very storm bearing down on you at this moment is making a way for you, clearing the obstacles, removing what once blocked you. Yes, it will be a real mess in the process, but soon you will see this was for your benefit. There’s one place you really don’t want to be in a storm … on a boat. It’s the worst possible scenario to be on a boat in high winds and wild waves. That’s worse than a trailer house in an open field when the tornado comes tearing through. But that’s right where Jesus was when he taught us about peace in the storm. In Matthew chapter 8 we read about Jesus and the disciples in a small boat out on the water. Verse 24-27 says, “Suddenly 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.