The Storm

my story continued….

There is a certain calmness that comes before a storm. Everyone watches in wait. Eyes are glued to the clouds looming overhead. Meterologists ramble on and on. And all you can do is wait. And wait. And wait. I guess its kind of like Christmas Eve…you go to bed expecting something to happen in the middle of the night. You don’t know for sure when St. Nick will appear. Yet, you have a sense of certainty that he will. It ‘s hard to sleep at night. Only a storm is different because you anticipate there will be some damage done.

Sure enough, Hurricane Ike hit the shore of Galveston, Texas at 2:10 am on September 13, 2008. It was a gigantic storm with damaging winds of 110mph, a 22 ft storm surge and widespread coastal flooding. Lives were missing. Power was lost. Communication was disrupted.

A dark, ominous cloud rumbled through the community. Everyone wanted to know if their house had survived. Phones rang off the hook for anyone who decided to stay behind. Were they okay? What was it like? Can you describe the condition of the neighborhood?

My first phone call the following morning was to my hubby man. I asked a zillion questions. Of course, I wanted knit-gritty details. For one, I was lonely. Let’s be honest–kids are not always the best company. Secondly, I was curious. Did anything unexpected happen at the hospital? Was it busy? Had he heard anything..anything at all..regarding our home?

Waiting is excruciatingly painful.

Regardless of who you are, there come times in life when we have to wait. Being accustomed to getting my french fries hot and my fast food fast, waiting is not necessarily my specialty. It’s at times like this that I have a tendency to tell God what to do. I seem to be pretty opinionated about how I would handle my situation. With pride in my eyes, I tell God He doesn’t have a clue.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Thankfully, God is merciful. Despite my questioning and wondering, He stands faithfully by my side. When I am distant, He holds me under His outstretched arm. He waits patiently for me to turn back to Him. Storms will come and storms will go, and despite it all, God still stands strong.

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