Waiting On The Storm

That's right, you heard me waiting on the storm. So many times we think that we're supposed to be waiting out the storm but what if we're waiting on the storm.
Have you ever laid awake wondering what's coming next?  Do you remember that sinking feeling in your gut? You know, the one where  you've imagined every negative scenario possible. Your heart wants to wait for something good but everything in you tells you that the only thing you could possibly be waiting for is something bad. You can hear the thunder on the horizon.  You know the storm is coming! You are  watching and waiting, listening so hard that you can nearly feel the drops of rain as they hit a tree leaf nearby.  Your eyes strain in the darkness to make out the lightning. You are almost certain that you've seen it flash across the sky.  Your heart races within you wondering just how bad this storm will be. Will it be one of those storms that passes by pretty quickly or will it be the kind that lingers over head?
What if, just what if, this time it is not a storm?  What if just this once that isn't actual lighting that you see far in the distance but rather your distorted view of a lightning bug across the field?  What if that isn't rain drops you hear on those leaves but rather the sound of birds settling into their nests for the night?
Better yet, what if this time it is a storm but the kind that brings no destruction?  What if it will rain and you will see the lightning flash across the sky but in reality it is an inspiring show?  What if the rain is coming to water the flowers and bring life to the open field and you are so busy bracing for the storm that you are about to miss all the miracles happening right before your eyes?
Stop worrying, close your eyes and listen to the sound of the storm.  Hear the thunder rumble and listen to the applause of the rain drops as they fall around you.  Breathe deeply to take in the fresh scent that only rain can bring.  Allow yourself to be enveloped by the storm and just enjoy the scene without allowing yourself to be afraid. 
Understand that always bracing for the worst simply causes you to miss out on all the beauty around you.  Let the storms come as they may.  Rest in Him and know that He will be there to hold you gently as the storm graces you with its presence or to shield you and help you rebuild when the storm brings destruction.  In the end, He will be there with you no matter what the storm. 
Have courage, for God has not forgotten you. He has made a commitment to care for you and while there may be days that the storms bring destruction so that you can learn to trust Him in the times of rebuilding,  perhaps today is not one of those times but rather just a gift that He is giving you. 

The Friendship Room

In the house of life there is a room where friends love to hang out. It is inviting and peaceful.  Many friends come into this room as time passes by.  Some will come to stay and others will visit for but a season.  
The room is quite unique, so come along as we journey inside.

When you first step in there is a light switch and you flip it.  The light turns on and you find it odd that the builder chose to position the light in the corner of the room instead of the center as most would but the room is so relaxing that you move along without giving it much more thought.  
There are bookshelves that line one wall, a small sitting area in the corner, and a couple of tables. One table is lined with photos of memories shared and on the other sits some book ends aside three leather-bound books.  
Your eyes are drawn to the bookshelves, the first of which you can easily see.  You fingers grace the surface of a couple of books.  You can tell by their titles that the books share funny stories of days gone by.  You can also see some photos of moments spent with friends; those kind of snapshots that bring a smile to your face on even the most difficult of days.
Next your eyes move to the edge of the shelf where you see a small vial labeled "tears" that sits on a dark blue cloth.  You wonder to yourself which holds more tears, the vial or the cloth itself because the way it is worn and ragged you know it has been used to wipe away tears more times than it should have. 
The next shelf is far enough from the light that it is hard to really make out what sits on it but there appear to be some vases and maybe a few more books.  
You grab one of the memory books you had seen earlier and settle in on the recliner for a good laugh.  As you sit down you realize that the builder had more sense than you originally thought.  The placement of the main light makes this corner of the room where you are sitting a bit darker. There is still enough light to read if you angle the book just right but the light doesn't shine in your face which makes it incredibly easy to relax.  

After enjoying a few pages of the book you look up to see a lamp in the corner.  Beside it is a sign and you move closer to read it. 
 "Warning!  Beauty and Danger both lie ahead.  Only flip this switch if you are ready to explore this with someone you trust to be patient, kind, protecting and above all loving."
it reads.  
The sign really doesn't make sense.  This is the far side of the room and there are no other doors so why is it warning you as if you are about to proceed into the unknown?
You ponder for awhile and then remember the parts of the room that you couldn't quite make out before.  You realize that this lamp must be positioned to illuminate the portions of the room that you couldn't see before.  

You now have a choice to make. Will you flip the switch on this lamp or will you wait for the person described on the sign?
If you are like most people then you will flip that lamp on and begin exploring the room.  

When you do you see some truly amazing things.  You see that the table of old photographs is actually lined with an incredible piece of material.  It feels like satin but looks like lace and the rainbow of colors displayed in it ranges from the deepest of reds to the brightest of blues.  
You move toward the next table where you had seen the three books and you read their titles, written in the most beautiful calligraphy you have ever seen.  Past and Present both sit there with a bookmark jutting up between the pages of Present.  You notice for the first time that the last book, titled Future, sits open with a bottle of ink and a quill pen adjacent to it.  It beckons to you to write within it but you aren't sure what you could possibly add to the pages.  
You remember the bookshelf that you couldn't quite make out in the dark so you head that way.  You are not at all prepared though for what you see there and for the first time you wish you had heeded the warning of the sign.  
There is now no doubt that the builder intended to protect you from your own curiosity, which you all too often refer to as an adventurous spirit.   This shelf is not lined with beauty as the other parts of the room but instead has old worn books with labels like Fear and Pain.  Unlike the beautiful writing on the books from the table, these block letters look like the author never intended for anyone to be drawn to these books.  
You see spiders scurry into the pages of the book labeled Victim and you notice that it must have been years since anyone dared to read its pages as the cobwebs draped around it are as thick as can be.  
It occurs to you that if you had waited for the person described in the sign then you wouldn't just be standing here staring in disbelief but as you look at the cobwebs, dust and mice droppings you realize that this is a bigger mess than any one person could possibly tackle alone.  

Someone who believes that they "can't help falling in love," will undoubtedly rush in and turn on the light on their own.  Someone who believes that love is a choice will only put a hand on that switch if they are doing so with the consent and companionship of the person described on the sign.  
You see, it is possible to blow off the dust, clean up those cobwebs and even sweep away the mouse droppings but once you do, you will have to read through the pages of each of those books where, in truth, the titles are more revealing than you first saw.  While the spine reads Fear, one side reads His and the other Hers.