Do no fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you,

for I am your God

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (New American Standard Bible)

 


 

Get Ready

            A little over a week ago, many watched as Hurricane Laura hurled its life-defying winds at us while we waited with bated breathes anticipating the place of its landfall.

Preparing and facing life’s storms can be daunting. Do you strain an already stressed out budget by investing in something that might not happen? Do we just depend on God and His mercy? Do we sit back with the attitude of What can I do? What’s going to happen is going to happen.

            I can only imagine the young woman hoped against hope that the counselor would say she was worrying too much. Instead the mother of several children heard the dreaded words that her husband exhibited signs of someone who had already emotionally left the marriage and would probably walk out. There was no more denying that she could not control the changes coming, but she could decide how to meet the storm headed her way. Between a bad economy and some unwise investments, there would be little or no money in the settlement. Also, because her education was incomplete more specialized training was needed to successfully start over.  Going back to school and dealing with children facing a life torn apart was difficult as was the divorce and the ex-husband marring the other woman. But by focusing on the future and continuing to upgrade her training, the young mother was eventually able to move herself and family through the storm into a positive life.

            By listening to that inner voice, another woman was able to avert a storm. Money management had never been her strength but the need to make saving a priority began to play out in her mind.  While focusing on ways to save, it almost became a game. Some times she could only move five dollars to her savings but did so with the thought that there was now five more dollars in the account than before. If money was saved on a purchase, that difference went into the savings account as did any left over at the end of the month. Watching the nest egg grow was rewarding and she learned that the key to successful saving was making it a life priority. Several months into this experience she faced an unexpected expensive car repair bill. The money in the savings account averted the debilitating storm of debt.

Sometimes a sudden storm leaves us no time to prepare and our only option is to walk through the raging winds while trying to survive. COVID-19, quarantine, face masks, pandemic, are words this time last year were not in our thinking, and yet, today, for many of us they form the boundaries of our living, and serve as a reminder we’re not in control. Life as we have known it has stopped and we are left to navigate these untested waters while seeking not only survival but a better way.  

Thought:  There should never be any denial that facing a storm is difficult and getting through it takes grit and a strong determination. That being said, I’ve experienced the raging winds more than once. Two beliefs have always sustained me in bad times which I am using them in this pandemic, even on my worst days: 1. What can I learn at this time that will help another in the future? This question often leads to seeing things differently and availing myself to new information. 2. This is the most IMPORTANT. The one I follow through the storm will determine the outcome. God has led me down many paths that I reluctantly followed while kicking, screaming, and complaining the whole way. The trip might have been difficult, but it always led me into a better place as a better person. There is a wonderful song from the musical, Carousel, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Some of the words are walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone. I love this admonition to never stop, but I would add, when you walk, keep your hand in His and your walk with never be futile.

 

   

 

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