Through the Storm: Learning to Not Only Survive, But to Thrive
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While the storms of life are painful, they can be that much more beneficial, if we negotiate our way through them in the manner God intends. Instead of finding ourselves hopelessly marooned by the storm, we can be refined it. Let's learn how together!
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Through the Storm - Rodney Freeman
I. Preface
The weeks were blissfully passing by as you sailed peacefully across the tranquil sea. On this particular day a cool breeze out of the east filled the hoisted sails of your ship which flapped in the subtle winds. The sunlight enveloped you in its warmth and your skin basked in the radiating glow. A small wave here – a little larger one there. Up one peaceful wave and down another. The repetitive motion – the rhythm and melodic sound of the water lapping over against itself - the entire scene had you feeling relaxed on what was shaping up to be a perfect day.
But then suddenly, from your reclined position on the ship, you noticed dark and ominous clouds stretching from the line they had drawn in the sky, on back as far as the eye could see. Almost before you even had a chance to blink, you were on your feet scrambling to change the direction of the sails. Turning, pulling, cranking – you did everything you could to redirect your course and outrun a storm in hot pursuit. But, alas, the once calm winds began picking up steam by the second – the evidence of its force swirling around in your ears. The sky suddenly opened up without warning and you can still hear the sound of the infinite number of raindrops as they beat the drum that was your ship’s deck. In fact, the rain was so strong that it simply overwhelmed you as panic started to swiftly rush in. And then there was that moment. The moment when you thought (heart fluttering in your chest) I am caught
. This storm’s inescapable grip had clenched down on your ship and had no intention of letting you go.
Once peaceful waves became enraged by the heavy hitting hand of the tempest that visited you and your vessel that day. The ship was no more in your control than the storm that enveloped it. Thus, you found yourself at the mercy of an angry sea that had its way with you for what seemed like an eternity; resulting in a beaten vessel that was deposited on the beach of the deserted island you now inhabit. Lost, alone, and no way that this battered ship has a chance of floating
. Why did this happen to me? How can I get out of this impossible situation? Where can I turn when I am all alone on this island?
Who among us has not endured an emotionally trying experience during his or her lifetime? Storms are an inevitable reality for all of us as we travel through life and have a way of weaving together all of mankind, due to the shared experience of pain. Pain transcends all boundaries, whether time, physical borders, races, cultures, or socio-economic status. The sources of pain are just as diverse as the places it occurs and the people it affects. Thus, each one of us, should we live long enough, will at some point find ourselves in what we will refer to for the purposes of this book as a storm
. Life, in the midst of these storms, can be thought of as a ship traversing pain’s murky waters. During these times we find that the once calm waters now rage, and the vessels of our lives are rocked by an angry sea of hurts, disappointments, loss, and all other imaginable forms of suffering.
It is very likely that this book will find many in the midst of some sort of storm as we speak. If you happen to be an individual who is currently being challenged by some form of hardship, it is not a coincidence that you are reading these words, nor is it a coincidence that I am writing them. Friend, take solace in knowing that even if you are being dowsed by the torrential rains of a storm, God is in control. It may not feel like it, but He is in fact always with you no matter what you are going through.
You may remember the story of Jesus and His disciples, found in Matthew 8 starting with verse 23:
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But, Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him saying Lord save us! We are going to drown! He replied, you of little faith, why are you so afraid? Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm
.
God is in control, even when the ship on which you travel is being violently tossed back and forth. He knows about the storm you are trying to weather. My hope is that this book will at least start you down that path of enlightenment regarding storms, and help you to find peace despite the fact that you may be gripped firmly within the palm of pain’s hands.
In the chapters that follow, we will see that navigating our way through the storms of life requires a complete paradigm shift in our perspective on how to deal with the toughest of times. How do we deal with the paradox of realizing that we should actually embrace the painful trials we face instead of trying to run from them? With that question in mind this book is divided into three main sections. The first section focuses on gaining an understanding of God’s role in and use of storms in our lives. From there we transition into the second section in which we will discuss how to not only survive but thrive during the storms of life. The third section covers how to move forward in life after the storm has passed.
Before we begin our journey I have a word for those who are weathering a storm as we speak. Many days you may have thought of giving up and throwing in the towel. It may be that you have already yielded to the anger and the hurt birthed by the most difficult of circumstances. I encourage you to rise up again! Christ says The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I come that you may have life and have it more abundantly
(John 10:10). Satan, our adversary wants to destroy your life. He wants you to lose hope, rob you of what God intends to be your purpose, and views our times of weakness as a prime opportunity to show up and go to work on our faith. As soon as Satan recognizes that we are struggling, he starts trying to poke holes and sink the ship. The good news is that through a steadfast faith in a most capable God, we can make it through such adverse times. The lighthouse, which is Jesus Christ, is always shining though it may be veiled by the thick fog brought on by storms. We will explore together how we can keep track of that beacon of light which will shine into eternity.
I speak from a heart that is heavy with my own trials, and I admittedly am still seeking to fully grasp these truths which God continues to reveal as I follow Him and walk the path He has laid out for me. My current walk with God is akin to what Paul states in Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect
. I continue to be a work in progress, but grow each day in assurance of God’s faithfulness and His unwavering trustworthiness. I also speak as a person who has been angry with God on more than one occasion. There have been many times when I have lost heart, felt depressed, and wanted to give up the fight. If you can identify, please join me in a prayer of victory over our pain today - after which we will begin the journey together:
"Father God, I am tired. So many days I wonder where You are. There are days where I cannot pray, I feel defeated, and sometimes angry. Be my help, be my hope, and be my God. My prayer is that You would hear my cries to You for relief. I pray for Your favor. Help me to get through the pain and suffering I am feeling at this very moment! Please heal the wounds that cut deep to my soul. You are an amazing God who is capable of any and everything. I thank you for listening and I pray that You would hear my prayer, and that You would comfort me in this storm. In the name of Jesus Christ your Son I do pray…Amen.
Storm Praedicitur
pre·dic·tion
prә dikSH(ә)n/
noun
1. a thing predicted; a forecast.
There’s always a period of curious fear between the first sweet-smelling breeze
and the time when the rain comes cracking down.
-Don DeLillo
We all make plans in life. We make plans to get that job we have had our eye on. We plan where we will be living in five years. We plan vacations – we plan for early retirement – we plan how many children we will have and when we’ll have them. The planning seems to never stop and before we know it – if we’re not careful – God can unwittingly be removed from those plans we have fastidiously put together. That is until we encounter the unexpected.
James 4:
13 Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.
Will you be ready dear reader, when those unexpected moments arise? Moments that completely deviate from your well thought out plans which seemed so perfect. Because life can change with just one unexpected stroke of the painter’s brush and the perfect masterpiece
of clarity we had hoped for can become an indecipherable abstract painting in an instance.
There I was one weekend hanging out around my house just like most of the weekends of my childhood. This was an ordinary Saturday like any other. And I can distinctly remember that on this particular day I had gotten into a heated argument with my little brother regarding who would have all mighty power over the remote control! Before I knew it we were engaged in a classic tug of war
over the remote, yelling at each other about what seemed like a matter of life and death at the time. It was not long into this struggle for television viewing autonomy
, before my mom came upstairs and put this epic battle to rest with one of those signature looks that was code for; "Rodney it’s probably best if you stop screaming, act your age, and give the remote to your little brother - because I know you don’t want me to have to resolve this situation for you". To this day I still do not understand how moms pack all that information into one quick stare! Well she had and I clearly received her desired message by way of past circumstances when she had to step in, which had not worked out so well for me. After acquiescing and giving my brother a parting glare that let him know he had won the battle but not the war, I decided to go outside and shoot a couple baskets to blow off some steam from my rather unfortunate defeat.
At first it was a beautiful afternoon. Sun was shining – a light breeze – birds chirping in the tree tops above. But then in what couldn’t have been more than a fifteen minute time span, ominous looking clouds began to roll in and the gentle breeze that had greeted me, quickly developed into a strong wind accompanied by faint rolls of thunder. Suddenly it began drip…drip….drip
. Within minutes it was going to be a full fledged thunderstorm by my estimation. About that time my mom walked out of the house and said Hey, take a ride with me. Your father went for a walk and he is probably going to get caught in this storm
. We hopped into the car, pulled out of the drive way, and had not made our way fifty feet down the street before the sky opened up into a deluge! I remember thinking to myself, I don’t know where my dad is, but wherever he is - he’s wet
! All of the sudden we were startled by a more prominent roll of thunder…CRACK
! We probably had been driving for about five minutes, when we could just make out in the distance; a figure huddled underneath some tree branches off the side of the road. It was my father taking refuge in an attempt to escape the soaking rains the storm had brought forth. He had been caught in a storm that he had never seen coming. We quickly scooped him up and headed for home.
God forecasts that storms are headed our way, despite what our eyes might suggest.
In an effort to begin gaining perspective regarding trials; in this chapter and for the remainder of this book, I want us to think of a ship (our souls or beings) on a journey across a great sea (our lives or lifetime). If we were to embark upon a journey by way of a ship, what might be the first thing we want to do in order to ensure we make it safely through to our destination? You guessed it. We should check the forecast. In the episode above with my dad, he felt no real reason to check the weather forecast before he left on his walk, because by all appearances it was going to be a clear afternoon. However, in life it would be prudent for us to take a look at what might lie in store. God forecasts that storms are headed our way, despite what our eyes might