Storms Of Life

Last week, a large portion of the U.S. got hit by Winter Storm Cleon. There was a lot of damage and even some deaths. Lives were disrupted with power outages and icy conditions making it impossible to travel. Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, alone, had thousands of flight cancellations. I got to spend a little extra time in Minneapolis because of the issues in Dallas.

The last couple of days, I got to thinking about this storm and the others we face. I'm talking about not just the weather-related storms like Cleon, Katrina, or Sandy (just to name a few), but the other "life storms" that come in and cause chaos and confusion. The sudden death of a close friend or family member. The loss of a job. Health issues that impact our day-to-day lives. Financial burdens that stress and strain the closest of relationships. A child dealing with an issue for the first time on their own where we can't be the problem-solver. There are so many storms that come in. How best to deal with them?

As I ponder these storms, I offer up three things to keep in mind while going through them:

1. Keep your peace - Storms are disruptive. They, by nature, cause chaos and confusion. If you allow yourself to get caught up in it, your thinking becomes irrational and decision-making is impaired. Having grown up in northern Minnesota, rarely did a winter season go by without a story of someone going in the ditch in the middle of a blizzard and, instead of staying in the car and waiting for help, they chose to leave the safety of the vehicle and attempt to walk to the nearest house. This rarely had a positive outcome. Even in the worst of storms, there is peace to be found and it surpasses all understanding. It comes from within and if you are able to maintain your peace, resolution will come. Keeping your peace is imperative to weathering any storm.
2. Find the lessons to be learned - Every storm brings lessons to be learned. Cleon taught my wife and me that it's better to stock up in the days leading up to the storm rather than waiting until after to get food and necessities. If you can turn your perspective from the bad the storm has brought to the good that came of it, you will be much better off. Sometimes, the lessons are small, many times they are huge. Always, they are valuable. The lessons learned from the previous storm can get you ready and more able to deal with the next one that comes along.
3. Know that this, too, shall pass - Storms are never forever. They will pass. If you focus too much on the storm and not on keeping your peace and finding the lessons to learn, you may think the storm is here to stay. Trust me, it did not come to stay, it came to pass! Keep a long-term view of your life. Look back on other similar situations that, at the time, you thought were never going to end but did. There is a lot of power in a long-term view of a short-term storm.

Storms will come, how you choose to respond to them is your power. Keep your peace, find the lessons to be learned, and always remember that this, too, shall pass. Do this and you'll not only weather the storm, you'll be better off because of it!

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and  have conquered it for you.] - John 16:33 (AMP)