Storms

God

likes the storms in our lives. They will come. Not "if" they come but "when" they come...God likes them. He is in the storms. Consider this...

Nick Cash at Teen Advisors gave me a DVD from Nooma (Rob Bell) on "Rain". The story Rob told was captivating. He took his one-year old son for a walk in the woods. The boy was strapped on his back and was enjoying the walk through the woods. As they got all the way on the other side of the lake, it began to rain. Then, it began to pour. As Rob headed back, he covered his son's head but the little boy pulled the head cover off. As they kept walking back, the storm began to rage and was producing a soaking rain. The little boy began to panic and cry. The lightning and thunder kicked in and the little guy was now screaming. Rob stopped and pulled his son off his back and cradled him in his arms - holding him as tightly as possible and trying his best to shield him from the storm. Rob's pace quickened as he tried to hurry back to the cabin. As he carried his son he began to whisper, "It's OK buddy, you're safe with me, we're going to be OK, I love you. It's OK buddy, you're safe with me, we're going to be OK, I love you."

Rob looks back on that event as one of the most significant moments he's ever had with his son. They bonded on that walk and he protected him. He said one day, his son may be in therapy and that event might come up and his son might come to him and say, "Why Dad, why did you put me into that situation...why did you expose me to that?" What Rob would say is "Son, I'm glad you went through that situation because you drew close to me and let me protect you and hold you and get you through it. It was the best time of our relationship."

It's a neat story but here is my take away - God likes storms. He puts them into our lives for a reason. He allows pain for a reason. Because in those times of pain, oftentimes we turn to him, we lean on him and we need him. In that, He is well pleased.

The day before I showed this video to the 8th grade bible study at school, a client came into my office. He said he had something to share - something that happened to him in our office - and he wanted my assistant to join us. He said 8-9 months ago he had come in to see me about something and I wasn't in. So he got my assistant. She gave him the paperwork he needed to fill out and as he sat there filling it out, she began to share with him the recent news in our office of the 15-year old daughter of a co-worker that was recently diagnosed with cancer. The client sat there thinking, "I wish this lady would be quiet and leave alone. I want to fill this paperwork out and get the heck out of this office." He said what she didn't know was that just a few days before that, his 18-year old daughter discovered she was pregnant. The news was devastating to him. In fact, on the way down to my office he was sobbing. He composed himself enough to come into the office and then my assistant started sharing this story about the girl with cancer. And while he was wanting to get the heck out of my office...God was speaking to him.

After he left our office he heard God speak - "Here you are worried about your daughter bringing a new life into this world...when your daughter could be facing death." God put him in my office at the exact right time and put the exact right person in his place to share with him the exact right story to speak to his heart. A thunderstorm was raging around him that afternoon and God wrapped his arms around him and whispered, "It's OK buddy, you're safe with me, we're going to be OK, I love you."

Soar!