
I checked my phone today to see what the weather forecast was and it showed thunderstorms for the rest of this week. My phone tells you approximately when the storm is expected which is a pretty neat feature in my opinion. It allows you to plan your day around the storm so you can make it back to the safety of your home before it begins because no one likes to be caught in the storm. Oh how I wish the storms of life were like that! Just imagine an app for your phone that would let you know approximately when a storm was coming in your life and how long it would last. Yes, I would download it with a quickness!!
Unfortunately, the storms of life are not like that at all! It just hits you all of a sudden without any warning or indication of how long it plans to stay. So many of my family and friends including myself have been experiencing some intense storms of life this last few weeks! The calls continue to come in of people experiencing the death of loved ones, troubled marriages, sickness, financial trouble and the list goes on and on. After receiving so many bad reports and going through hard times myself, I struggle to find the words to encourage those that are suffering.
As I write this, I mourn the loss of a dear friend's mother. I, along with many others, prayed that God would turn things around and heal her. I had no doubt that God would do it. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I received the call that she had passed. My heart aches for my dear friend and her family.
The events of today and the last few weeks lead me to ask the question, What do you do when things don't work out how you thought they would? What happens when the storms of life leave you disappointed and brokenhearted? The only thing I know to do is run into the arms of the Master. I couldn't imagine living this life without Him. Even in times of storms and disappointments, He finds a way to give us a peace and understanding that nothing or no one else can.
I understand now how Job could say Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15a). There is much that we will not understand concerning the events of life, but we can trust The One that holds our life in His hands. To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). In other words we take the good and the bad and trust God has a purpose for allowing it all to happen in our lives. Although, this does not bring immediate comfort, we can rest assured that it will in time. The storm will pass and the Lord will allow the sun to shine in our lives once again.
1 Peter 5:10New King James Version (NKJV)
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Love and Peace,
Crystal Harkless
Unfortunately, the storms of life are not like that at all! It just hits you all of a sudden without any warning or indication of how long it plans to stay. So many of my family and friends including myself have been experiencing some intense storms of life this last few weeks! The calls continue to come in of people experiencing the death of loved ones, troubled marriages, sickness, financial trouble and the list goes on and on. After receiving so many bad reports and going through hard times myself, I struggle to find the words to encourage those that are suffering.
As I write this, I mourn the loss of a dear friend's mother. I, along with many others, prayed that God would turn things around and heal her. I had no doubt that God would do it. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I received the call that she had passed. My heart aches for my dear friend and her family.
The events of today and the last few weeks lead me to ask the question, What do you do when things don't work out how you thought they would? What happens when the storms of life leave you disappointed and brokenhearted? The only thing I know to do is run into the arms of the Master. I couldn't imagine living this life without Him. Even in times of storms and disappointments, He finds a way to give us a peace and understanding that nothing or no one else can.
I understand now how Job could say Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15a). There is much that we will not understand concerning the events of life, but we can trust The One that holds our life in His hands. To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). In other words we take the good and the bad and trust God has a purpose for allowing it all to happen in our lives. Although, this does not bring immediate comfort, we can rest assured that it will in time. The storm will pass and the Lord will allow the sun to shine in our lives once again.
1 Peter 5:10New King James Version (NKJV)
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Love and Peace,
Crystal Harkless