What Comes with a Storm?

This month has been filled with many storms that have hit our country and had their impact here in our county as well. School days have been canceled, the roads filled with snow and packed down ice, and the heating systems have been tested. When a storm is coming, we often know about it. We hear it on the news, from our neighbors, or see the radar on our smartphone apps. We know a storm has arrived when we hear the wind howling and we see the precipitation as it comes down from the heavens to the earth.

When a storm has passed it isn’t hard for us to see the results of the storm. They are very apparent to our eyes the next morning. We open our blinds and we see the snow, we see the limbs that have fallen from the wind or been frozen off, and we contemplate how brave and wise it is to go out and shovel the driveway. Leviticus 26:4 tells us “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit”

There is one more thing that comes with storms that most of us often overlook because it is underneath the surface: moisture. Even though storms can bring noise, destruction, anxiety, and stress they also bring moisture. It is that moisture that comes with the storm that propels life forward and allows it to be fruitful. While we all have faced these literal storms, perhaps you have a metaphorical storm you are in the midst of. Maybe it’s personal, familial, or professional. These kinds of storms are difficult and can consume us with their noise and destruction and we find ourselves riddled with anxiety and stress trapped inside of them.

The good news is that storms always pass; some may stick around longer than others, but all will pass because that is the seasonal nature of storms. Your storm will pass too. The greater news is that with these storms, as difficult as they may be, they will bring moisture to your life that will grow you to be more fruitful. That fruit can change your life, your family's life, and even the communities we are a part of. May we all find the moisture in our storms to create a more fruitful life for ourselves and our neighbors.

Grace and Peace,

Austin