Preparing for the Storm

Preparing for the Storm

Knowing God

The idea for this blog originated from a text message I sent, checking on my friend Bonny before Hurricane Francine made landfall along the Louisiana coast. I shared with her that it was also the day my husband suffered a fatal medical issue. She wrote these encouraging words. I hope they bless you today.

____________

Living in Louisiana, we get used to tracking storms. From the moment meteorologists start talking about a low-pressure area over the ocean, our ears perk up. Suddenly, we’re all amateur weather watchers, discussing the potential for a hurricane and where it will make landfall and when. We know about wind speeds, hurricane categories and remember the major ones that people still talk about like Ida, Rita, Katrina, Camille and Betsy.

We also know how to prepare for these potentially life-threatening storms. We gas up our vehicles and load up on bottled water, bread and medications. We remove outdoor furniture and plants, gather flashlights and charge up our phones and computers. Ready for the storm, we board up and stay inside or leave.

But those storms are easy. From June to November, it’s hurricane season. We know what to do. And, we’ll go through the motions again and again, because that’s how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Unpredictable life storms

But what about the storms we’re not prepared for? Those storms that nobody could predict were coming.

Those are the storms that will bring us to our knees, sending us out to sea and drowning us in fear, pain and despair. They blow in and blow out, and in an instant, we are left with one thing: loss.

Loss, in all its forms, makes such an impact that it becomes a part of our beings, our lives and who we become.  There’s a “before” and an “after.” And, every year, that moment that changed everything, is marked by an anniversary. A date marked in our minds and our hearts, and, again, we are knocked to our knees.

We know this storm is coming. We can predict it. We feel it. But how can we prepare for it? How do we “board up” our hearts, to make them strong against the violent winds and memories? Maybe we can adopt the hurricane preparedness list and use it to help us remain strong and vigilant.

Remain strong and vigilant

  • Stay informed: mark your calendar and be aware of what’s approaching.
  • Plan for evacuation: offer yourself in service to someone else in need, i.e., a shift at the Food Bank, a visit/phone call/text with someone who is lonely or go shopping to donate to a baby charity.
  • Family communication plan: communicate with others, i.e., a family member, close friend, prayer partner or clergy.
  • Gather emergency supplies: consider what has given you the most strength over the past year and spend some time with God talking about it.
  • Survive: Yep!
  • Aftermath of the storm: assess the damage and know how strong you are. Keep safe and be healthy. God loves you!

As Jesus awaited His own personal “storm” at the Garden of Gethsemane, He brought his closest companions, and He prayed to the Father. He knew the time had come to die for humankind and sorrow overcame Him too.

“Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me,’” (Matthew 26:38 NIV).

Knowing God

_____________

Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

Prep Work

Prep Work

Squeal with delight

I know firsthand how much goes into repairing and expanding a concrete driveway because I just had that work done. It takes hours of preparation before a truck even arrives to pour the concrete.

Locations of underground water, gas or any other utilities must be flagged. Digging up dirt, framing the area with boards, breaking up and hauling away any unneeded concrete, and laying down mesh wire for strength and durability must occur first. You get the idea.

Once poured, the wet concrete must be leveled, set and hardened enough to drive on it, which takes about 5 days (at least here in the South).

We may not like the wait, but the prep work guarantees the driveway can bear weight.

Lives well lived

My mother-in-law and father-in-law passed away within seven weeks of each other. As it often does, going through a time of loss reveals what matters most. It highlights the importance of cherishing our loved ones, treasuring the memories and spending quality time with them.

I think my in-laws’ lived in a way that would prepare future generations to live fulfilling and God-centered lives.

  • They demonstrated a daily love for and commitment to each other, staying together for 64 years.
  • They laughed easily and often, bringing joy into our lives.
  • Their love for the Lord and the things of God showed.

God’s preparation for us

Although we grieve, God gives us hope after loss. Through long hospital stays or sudden passing, God comforts the downcast. He gives us the stamina to lift one foot in front of the other and strengthens bonds shared with family and friends. He encourages us through a friend’s visit or a much-needed phone call.

Jesus promises we will see our loved ones again if we have a personal relationship with Him. He promises to prepare a place for us so that someday we will be with Him for eternity. He also prepares us for that place. He’s doing prep work in us now.

  • God left His word so we can know what He’s like.
  • He refines us, many times through trials and challenges.
  • He draws us to Him.
  • The Living God gives us the Holy Spirit, His guarantee that we will one day be with Him.

One day His work will be complete, and He’ll be ready for us to move in. In the meantime, Jesus promises to be with us and to one day return so that we may be where He is.

I can’t even comprehend our joy on the day we get to move into our heavenly rooms, however, that moment cannot compare to our joy when we see Jesus face to face.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” (John 14:2-3 NIV).

 

_____________

Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

 

Questions for God

Questions for God

My Christmas gift to you

“Why did God send the ants?” Parker asked his brother at the dinner table.

With five-year-old wisdom, Garrett quickly returned, “You know that God can hear you. He can even hear you in Disney World.”

In his deep, raspy voice, Parker shouts, “God! Why did you send the ants?!”

Oh, to be as bold as a three-year-old.

 

Have a question?

What question do you want to ask God today? Do you need to cry out in agony? Do you want to shout, demanding an answer?

As I write this, I am surrounded by a community that is reeling after an unimaginable tragedy, claiming the life of a beloved teenager and causing unspeakable anguish in the others involved.

Another family embarks on a cancer journey, soon to begin chemo and surgery. Still another deals with the unexpected loss of a job. A husband and wife struggle to hold their marriage together, while others are making the hard decisions to care for elderly parents.

 

Need answers?

There is a new song that launched today. Honestly, We Just Need Jesus by Terrian. The title of the song says it all. We just need Jesus. To get us through the heartbreak, the uncertainty, the pain and the loss, Jesus is our answer.

While searching for something else, I ran across the ant story today. I had jotted it down shortly after the little-boy dinner conversation. I share it not to downplay the severity of loss and pain, but to remind us that God hears what comes from not only our lips, but from our hearts as well.

Seek the Lord. He hears. He’s with us in the middle of chaos and pain. He gets trauma and grief. He understands hopelessness and anxiety.

Jesus takes our hand and walks beside us. He is trustworthy and he will never fail us.

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

_____________

Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

The Name of Hope

The Name of Hope

I woke up to the lyrics of a song playing in my head.

I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered. That’s why I trust Him. That’s why I trust in God my Savior. The one who will never fail. He will never fail. . .  He will never fail. . .

Couldn’t get it off my mind. It played over and over while I lay in bed that morning.

So, I went to church and guess what? The praise band sang — yes, that’s right — they sang the very same song.

Then the next day while I was worrying about a situation, that song, Trust in God by Elevation Music, came on the radio at just that moment. Now, it’s a popular song so maybe that doesn’t sound that unusual. But I have spent a week singing those lyrics in my head. They just pop up all the time.  Do you think God is trying to tell me something?

He will never fail. He could never fail.

A song of hope

There is another song that has captured my attention. I’ve only heard it once, but it brought me to tears.

Tear Off The Roof by Brandon Lake presents a compelling message. There is power in the presence, power in the blood, power in the name of Jesus.

Have you heard it? Friends tore off a roof and dropped their paralyzed friend into a crowded room to get him to Jesus. (Luke 5:17-26)

What was he thinking as he was being lowered? I think the song probably has it right – just get me to Jesus, I don’t care how, so tear off the roof.

His faith was great. His friends demonstrated faith and went to great lengths to get him in front of Jesus.

Their reward? They saw a life-changing, grave-shaking, dead-raising power in the room.

Yes, there is power in the presence. There is power in the blood. There is power in the name of Jesus.

A journey of hope

Others showed great faith and went to great lengths to see Jesus as well. Strangers from a distant land demonstrated spiritual diligence — and traveled many weary miles — to get to Him.

While a star pronounced His birth, calling people to come and worship, the wise men’s remarkable example of faith honored Christ, even when they had never seen him. They believed in Him even when the Pharisees and Scribes did not.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11 NIV)

Your story of hope

What is your story of hope? In desperation or diligence, have you called on Jesus?

  • When your day seems out of control. . . He will never fail.
  • When we get the “dreaded news” . . . He will never fail.
  • When our loss and pain seem too big to carry, He will never fail.

The paralyzed man’s friends called on Him. The Magi called on Him. We can call on Him and find hope and peace today.

My friend, Jesus is the name of hope, and He will never fail.

______________________

 

Don’t know Jesus? You can.

It would be my greatest honor to take your hand, introduce you and walk you through how to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and how to have a personal relationship with Him.

Find out more here.

______________________

(Blog posts and pages may contain affiliate links. I may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made using any affiliate link. My main affiliate program is Amazon.com, but I may add more in the future.)

A light in the darkness

A light in the darkness

Dusk Delights

They were like twinkling stars against the backdrop of the forest at dusk.

I seldom get to see fireflies, but I stood gazing on the walkway to a rental in the woods this particular weekend.

Simple pleasures, these tiny creatures. Surprised and awe-struck, I wondered what God was thinking when he created their bodies to light up like that. Did he make them just for mankind to enjoy?

While they weren’t colorful, big, or bright and brilliant, these tiny lit creatures reminded me to soak up and enjoy the little things in life, to stop and enjoy the moment.

How is it that we focus on the big, when it is the small that delights and pleases, and even encourages us?

Going through a devastating loss, illness or even disappointment taxes our minds and bodies. But when we see a blessing – even look for a blessing in the situation – we know that God is right beside us.

Lessons Learned

A friend told me recently of lessons she’s learned during a painful and trying season. The main lesson? She learned to appreciate the blessings along the way.

I think that lesson applies to most of us today.

In whatever season, whatever pain, whatever circumstances, let’s look for the blessing in life, big or small. Take time to look for those God-given moments. They just might be the light in our darkness.

____________________

Psalm 8:3-4

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
 the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
 and the son of man that you care for him?

;