Storms of Life

I went to church yesterday, it was the first time I had been since my surgery so I was looking forward to it, my outings have been limited and I was anxious to see some of my friends. What I wasn't prepared for was how difficult it would be, remember emotions spilling over easily. Praise and worship sweet, but the truth of what we were singing brought me to tears and there was nothing I could do to stop them. (and never, ever do I have a tissue when I need one) I wanted to walk out several times and compose myself but resisted and let the spirit do his work in my heart.

The series our church is doing on the book of Jonah continued, with the theme of Sunday's message, "Our Pursuing God"

I did well through most of the sermon until the last 10 minutes when the tears spilled over again as God's truth hit me squarely in the face. Point that hit me so hard..."God's storms equal God's compassion not his punishment. His storms are his compassionate way of getting our attention, of bringing us to the end of ourselves, to help us see what we are really putting our trust in" "To show us our desperate need for him and him alone" We were to repeat this sentence "God's storms in my life are meant to accomplish his saving purposes every time" I couldn't say it, I just sat there with tears streaming down my face, not because I didn't believe what the pastor wanted us to say but because I knew it was true. What I was hearing, mirrored what God had been showing me, another fresh reminder.

I know this is a hard concept to accept, it as been for me, but you need to keep an eternal perspective. We have never been promised our best life here. This is a fallen world filled with broken people... pain... storms... are part of this life. My "cancer storm" may be beginning to calm now but I know there are other storms on my horizon, I see the clouds gathering. My prayer is that I will continue to see the storms in my life as God's compassion, that I will continue to look to him...depend on him...trust in him.

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him"  Lamentations 3:22-25

The flowers from Bradford Pear Tree look like snow on the ground