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   Funny Church Signs    

Facing a storm as a Christian

by Janicegail Slone

Facing a storm as a Christian.
Recently I saw on a church sign that said, "God does not promise smooth sailing, but He does promise a Safe Landing. A mental picture of the disciples immediately popped into my head, with the waves crashing around them, the boat rocking to and fro, Jesus in the lower deck asleep, and they were scared to death. After they awakened Him, he stretched our his loving arms and said, "Peace be still". And they were so amazed and even the winds and waves obeyed this man. Could he have prevented the storm, indeed so, then the disciples would have missed seeing this wonderful miracle. Not only the miracle of the calmness of the storm, but the miracle that they could trust this man called Jesus.

Being a Christian does not exempt us from the storms of life, they will come,as the Bible says it will rain on the just and the unjust. Storms come into our lives and we sometimes wonder why God allowed it, was it for my benefit or was it to bring Him honor and glory? I'm afraid sometimes we focus on self so much in the storm that we forget to look to the one who allowed the storm, not caused it, but allowed it for a reason. We see only the here and now, yet God sees our lives from the beginning to the end, and He knows just what storm we can weather and He knows just when to stretch our His hands and say Peace Be Still. There are the times that once we have weathered the storm, then we can comfort others with the same comfort God gave us while in the storm.

I had a cousin who could never bear children, no doubt her boat rocked many nights as the winds and waves of infertility lapped around her, no doubt she shed many tears and she held on tightly hoping the storm would end and once He said, Peace Be Still, she'd conceive a child. But that didn't happen, no doubt God gave her peace, but he said no to a child, and it was so evident how much she loved children. She was so good to her nieces, nephews and younger children of her family. I never felt her pain, or knew her storm, oh, I'd say, it's just too bad Erma couldn't have children. Then... I boarded that ship called infertility, my boat rocked and the winds of surgery hit my body, the waves of medication seem to over lap me at times, and the tears I shed could of filled a boat. God answered our prayers for a baby, He just said no. It was then I learned God answerers prayers three ways, Yes, No and Wait. Our answer like Erma's was no. A few weeks after my final surgery in this journey, this one ending all possibility I'd bear a child, I saw cousin Erma, whom I had thought of many times on my tumultuous journey, she simply walked over to me, wrapped her arms around me and we wept together. She knew the storm of my life, and it was only when I had gone through the same storm as she, that I could understand. She said, you'll never know the times I've prayed for you, and I know just how you feel. God used her storm to help clam mine.

The storm of cancer has hit my family many times, with Uncles, Aunts, cousins, yes I hurt for them and felt a loss at their death. When the storm of Cancer hit my 50 year old brother, then I felt my Dad's pain for his siblings, and the pain others felt when the rode out their storm of cancer, whether their safe landing was here on earth or in their eternal home as it was with my 50 year old brother. My first prayer was when I learned he had cancer, was, Lord I pray you receive Honor and Glory in the Cancer. Was my storm of pain and hurt any less because I was a Christin, I don't think so, but being a Christian facing this awful storm, I knew my God would never leave me or forsake me, or my family, did I like it, no, did I understand why my 50 year older brother would only live 8 weeks from his diagnosis, no I did not, but as a Christian I knew God understood my tears, my hurt and my pain, and He gave me comfort, strength and courage to face days I thought I could not. To give words of comfort to my brothers friends who were hurting so badly at his death, when I look back, it's amazing how God carries us through the storms that hit so hard and hurt so bad.

I hurt for those facing the storms of life and don't know Jesus Christ personally, who will wrap His loving arms around you and say, Dear Child, Peace Be Still.