Thunder, Lightning and Smiles
One night several years ago, an incredible storm rolled through the area just before I left work. Although it was too early for the sun to go down, the sky had already grown quite grey and was growing darker by the minute. Finally, as I was getting ready to park my work truck in a building for the night, the sky opened up with an incredible show as lightning flashed remarkably close and the roar of thunder was quite deafening. Although I generally don’t mind storms, on that particular evening, I was thinking that it was just a little too close for comfort. As the storm came in, it didn’t help when a large bang and crackling noise, along with other loud static, came over my CB radio. I can assure you that my radio got turned off pretty quickly after that noise came through the speakers!
Thinking about that evening’s storm, let me share a story that I heard a long time ago. It’s one that I think about nearly every time I experience a thunderstorm.
A young mother was out running errands one day and got caught in a thunderstorm as she was driving. As she continued driving through the heavy storm, she would often look back to check on her daughter, who was riding in the backseat, to see how she was taking the thunder and lightning. Each time that a lightning bolt would flash, the little girl’s face would get a huge smile on it. Finally, intrigued, the mother asked her daughter why she was smiling whenever the lightning flashed. Without missing a beat, the little girl looked at her mother and said: “Because God is taking my picture!”
Think about it! What an incredible picture, isn’t it? The same God who created the terrifying storm, also created it to be beautiful – to display His power and glory for us to see. It’s so easy for us to forget how powerful God is. Sometimes we treat Him haphazardly – like one of us. We don’t give Him the honor that He deserves. And, to be honest, when we forget about His power and the reality of who He is, it’s easy to lose some of the awe and reverence that we should have for Him. Sometimes, we need something electrifying to jolt us back to reality. We need to remember that God isn’t always safe, but He is always good.
No one is promised a life that’s free of storms. In fact, we’re promised the opposite. We will all know storms throughout our lives. We may face financial problems, illnesses, family issues – or a host of other things. Sometimes the storms that we face seem to be too powerful for us. There are times when we may feel like we’re not going to see the sunshine and peaceful skies on the other side. Yet, we can have confidence that whenever we go through a storm, we don’t have to go through it alone. The God who created the storm also wants to walk with us through the storm. Even though He is so powerful that He can create the greatest storms, God is also gentle. We can rest in His presence – just like that little girl. Even as the storm rages all around us, we can still find the peace to truly enjoy God’s presence. Think about the peace and comfort that can be ours – just by finding our rest, peace, happiness and joy in Him.
Whatever storm we may be facing, God always wants to walk through it with us. If we allow Him to have control of the storm, then there’s nothing to worry about. We just need to relax and enjoy the lightshow! Of course, we need to smile. God may be taking our picture, also!
Have a great day!
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27 (NIV)
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