Why does it have to rain and storm? Recently, the Midwest has had crazy weather. This is typically severe weather season, but this year we’ve already had at least 2 tornado warnings and torrential downpours. I mean like gully washer, can’t see through the rain, rivers forming in streets and strong wind, downpours.

As I was taking my walk with God the other day, I was noticing once again the beautiful green trees and then also the beginnings of flowers and plush green grass. Beautiful grass. The kind where you want to take off your shoes and walk through it. That’s when in my conversation with God, I felt Him whisper, “None of that beauty would have happened without the recent rain and storms.”

My response was to stop walking. Huh….that is so true. Without the rain the ground would be dry, used up, no good, and not beautiful at all. It wouldn’t have a story to tell so to speak. The story of the green grass and beautiful flowers and trees is that they survived a dark season of winter with no fruit or growth to show for it, and then a lot of storms.

What was the end result of all of those trials?

Beauty. A story to tell. That beauty didn’t just happen, it was the result of a time of just hanging on and a time of enduring storms. I will also note that some branches had broken off from the strong winds, and this reminded me we may have some lasting affects from storms in life – because we live in a sinful world.

I can’t help but feel that all of this truly reflects our lives. There are seasons we are just hanging on, and they are dark and hard. There are seasons where the storms seem to never end and the light is far off. There are seasons where we are not rooted in God’s truth and His word and we end up dried up and not showing His majesty, beauty, and goodness.

Also reminds me of a storm I endured driving a few years ago. I left the store and it was starting to rain. I got in my car and turned on the wipers and headed home, and though it was windy and pouring, I could still see. It was a storm, but it had not brought me to a complete halt. Yet as soon as I got on the highway, the clouds opened up and buckets upon buckets of rain dumped down.

I went from 60 miles an hour down to about 30 and I became the good old 90-year-old grandma driving hunched over the steering wheel (with a death grip) trying to see just enough in front of me to keep going because I wasn’t in a place to pull off.

I had to endure the storm and just keep going at a slower pace. Everything was dark and my view of the world was no more than a couple feet in front of the car. I couldn’t even hardly see the road, let alone any kind of light or relief up ahead. Plus, I couldn’t even look to see if there was light because I was in the storm so deep and it was so strong. I just kept praying, “God help me get home. God just help me get home safe.”

Then, as suddenly and as quickly as it started. it stopped. I mean stopped. Onee second I am in it and then next second I’m driving on dry ground in complete light. Just like that —the storm ended, but until I got to the light I couldn’t see there was light up ahead.

And how often is life like that? You may be in a storm, but it’s not too bad or you may be in a storm which is so bad you can barely see the next step you’re going to take. You’re just holding on to God and trusting He is going to carry you through and try to trust this storm won’t last forever.

However, you have no idea when it will end, and you can’t even focus on when it might end because the storm is so strong you are just barely taking the next step. You are just holding on for dear life.

Then, one day it’s over. You can now look back and see how God brought you through.

And, that my friend is where your story gets beautiful and becomes a testimony.

I’ve endured countless storms in this life I never thought would end (actually in one right now), and yet I know the others ended, and God has been redeeming it all. I just had to hold onto Jesus because when I didn’t, I almost left this world where God still had work for me. I’m holding on to Him now too.

Hold on in the storm. Hold onto Jesus. Even if you can’t feel it. Even if you don’t feel like you have the strength to hold on, let Him hold on for you. Just hold onto Jesus and give Him glory when you get to the other side and watch how He uses it for His Kingdom.

I love this song I came across recently. I pray it blesses you today.

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