A Storm

As I write, it is storming outside. As soon as the sun hides behind clouds and I hear a faint thunder, I immediately begin to feel calm. I am not exactly sure why this happens to me but I love when it storms. Now, I don't mean when it storms in a way that my house shakes and my power goes out not to turn back on for days. A summer storm or even a whole day of rain and some rumblings make me feel less anxious and at peace. I was thinking about this as the storm started this afternoon. Many people hate rain and are scared of storms but it has this weird effect on me to bring me to a place of quiet in my soul. So, I wonder, why do I not feel this way when the storms of life come my way? Where is the peace when everything around me is thundering and raining in? Maybe because storms that calm me are outside. I am able to look at them from inside a safe and dry home. I can crawl in my bed and stay warm and watch the rain come down to help our grass and trees grow. When I am walking through life's storms, I'M IN THEM. I am smack dab right in the middle of thunder and rain. I feel the rumbling all over me and am soaked by the rain that seems like it will never stop. I stand there and take beating after beating of heavy downpours and shake from feeling cold and helpless. But why don't I just walk where it is safe and dry? Why don't I walk into my safe haven where I feel at peace and calm? Why don't I rest in the arms of my Savior while the storm rages and wait it out there? I am asking myself these questions today because I don't know why I flounder in the storm, trying to handle it on my own rather than seeking the face of Jesus every second I'm in it. I want so badly for the storms of life to go away never to return but I really should just be praying that God be glorified in the midst of them. I should be asking God to make the storm I'm walking through show the people around me just how great and BIG He is! So, as I watch the storm outside today, I rest where it is dry and safe reminded that I also have a safe haven in my Father who holds me close in the shelter of His arms.