The Storm Doesn't Break You...

I never did like storms...

I mean, most storms are cold, wet, dark, and dank. Storms are messy, always leaving behind a wet, muddy mess that leaves everything in it's path soggy and nasty. I hate being caught in a storm, because it soaks through to the bone, and leaves me feeling gross. Storms are detrimental, bad, destructive forces of nature.

2017 was a definite storm in my life...

Last year was filled with one word: loss. In the course of just six months, my wife and I lost so much, that I seriously feared that I wouldn't see 2018. I lost my bishop, a wonderful man of God that I loved and had a great relationship with. Just a couple of months later, my wife lost both her cousin and grandmother - within a week of each other! Then my wife resigned from her job and we lost half of our income. Then we lost our vehicle, as the cost of our adoption absorbed all of our finances. Then, as if I needed any more loss, I lost my beautiful mother to liver cancer and kidney failure (cancer sucks). Then less than a month after that, the cherry on this morbid cake - I lost my job. By October 1st, I felt like my life and the life I promised my wife and child was over.

Understand this: I pride myself on being able to take care of my responsibilities. Any real man does, especially when it comes to his wife and children. To not be able to provide for your family, and not even have a vehicle to get around in, on top of insurmountable loss, is a knockout blow to the strongest man, I don't care who he may be. You couldn't tell me Melissa wasn't going to divorce me and take my child with her. And the saddest part of all? I was so weak from the steady onslaught of loss over the last six months, I wouldn't have stopped her. She would've been well within her rights, and I was mentally preparing myself to deal with that. (I should point out here that Melissa NEVER even said anything to make me think this way, this was my own toxic thinking)

But all of this was going on, because I was looking at the storm the wrong way...

In the 4 months since all of this has happened, I must confess, we still struggle. Still looking for work, still looking for a vehicle, still grieving. I would love to tell you that things turned around that quick, but that's just not the truth. However, in the midst of our struggles, I have come to learn something profound. It has given me purpose for 2018. It's something that has the ability to change your life too! Let me share it with you, and I pray that you get revelation like I did...

The storm doesn't break you...

Let me show you a storm from a different perspective. Storms nourish. Storms cleanse. Storms erase. Storms provide. The same storm that you see as damaging and disastrous, is actually nourishing and refreshing. See, when you don't understand a storm's purpose, you will misunderstand its effect. Storms are designed to destroy, but not in the way we often see it. Storms destroy things that need to die, in order for new things to live. Have you ever seen a tree destroyed in a bad storm. Most people's first thought will be, "Oh no, that poor tree." But look at the storm in a positive light. That tree had to be broken in order for the new tree to take root and be birthed! And the new tree will end up being stronger than the old one, because it's being birthed in a spot that's already fertile, and the soaking nourishment from the storm will help it develop strong roots! Storms don't break every tree though. Look at the tall, strong trees of the Amazon, and the enormous, statuesque sequoia's of the Sierra Mountains. These trees bend in the roughest storms, but they don't break. They are so strong inside and out, that even the most detrimental storm is no match for their resolve. These trees were built to withstand stormy weather. And as a bonus, the storm that can't destroy them only helps them grow even more!

I hope you caught that. If not, let me simplify it for you:

• Storms help you to develop strong roots.

• You were built to withstand the storm.

• The storm that can't destroy you will only help you grow more!

So, when I look back at the hell I went through last year, and I look at the struggles I still endure so far this year, I smile. I smile because I see the storm differently. I see the beauty in the storm, rather than the ugliness of it. I understand why rainbows come after the storm. It is indeed a reminder that we are promised blessings and provision after the storm. Storms are always temporary, no matter how long they last. And knowing that no storm is eternal is enough to encourage you to embrace the storm! That's right, embrace the storm! Why? Because storms provide a level of cleansing that you will otherwise never receive.

Think about it: when it rains, flowers and plants get wet, roads get wet, everything gets wet! But when it stops raining, the water evaporates pretty quickly. A morning rain is usually undetectable by the afternoon. But a storm? A storm doesn't wet everything up, it SOAKS everything! Everything exposed to it is saturated by it! The effects are evident long after the storm ends. Flowers and plants that seem to be drowned in water, are actually overwhelmed with nourishment and life. There are some things that require a storm in order to live! I believe that people are the same way. We need storms in our life, so that we can be cleansed of things that stand in the way of new life. Storms overwhelm us with nourishment so that we can grow beyond what we could imagine. Storms are the mechanism in our life that measures our breaking point. Storms will bend us to our limit, but they won't break us! And most importantly, when the storm is over, the growth we will see in our lives will allow us to maximize our potential!

So to 2017, I would like to say thank you. I look forward to the growth that storm will produce this year.

Embrace your storm, it won't break you...

I'm just saying'...

TRT

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