Sunday, April 19, 2009

Spring Storms

We get most of our winter in the spring. Where it may not snow for weeks November through January, we get amazing coverage in April. But the blankets of snow don’t last long, and are usually preceded and followed by warm temperatures that tempt you to plant too early. Coming from Chicagoland, this does not fit my idea of April. Rain, yes. Snow, no.

Sometimes our lives are like April in Colorado. Change comes on so suddenly that we can hardly believe it’s our life anymore. Then just as suddenly, it settles down into routines and predictability. Most of the time, we don’t expect the storms. The warm, calm weather preceding and following the storms of change may look like a stable job, family, and a good church. The storms may be failing health, a lost job, lost family member or a move.

We may forget to enjoy the mundane life weather while we have it. We long for more, feeling unsatisfied. We want the excitement of change, but when the storms come unannounced, we may not feel happy for the change because it’s out of our control. Spring storms remind us that we are not in control, and that our idea of spring is not what dictates reality.

While it’s not comforting to know that storms will come, it is comforting to realize that storms do not last forever, and they come in seasons. The snow will melt away into May weather and leave us with stability and routine again. We can weather the storms of change and unpredictability because we have a God who cares for us.

Psalm 107:23-32 is a beautiful passage about a storm. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20107:23-32;&version=31;

Psalm 107:29-30 says,
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.

30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.