We all go through storms.
I am, as many of you are, fluent in "Christianese." If someone is going through a storm, it simply means they are facing a difficulty in their life. Our storms usually consist of relational strain, financial issues, being hurt by others, stress from work. The list goes on. I have noticed we often speak so highly of our storms. We often make them seem so powerful, all-consuming, and the center of our attention. Don't get me wrong, there are some pretty nasty storms out there that do deserve attention, however, we need to remember that the power of God is greater than the most severe storm we could ever face. Let's not deify our storms.
Sink or swim?
When the storm comes, what are we supposed to do? I frequent the beach. I prefer to go out in the water on a day when the currents aren't too strong, however, if they are strong, that usually doesn't stop me. Whenever I am caught in one of those strong currents, the harder I swim the faster I sink. In that current, many will panic and allow their fear and anxiety to drive them to flail their arms and legs in an attempt to get out of that current. They focus all their energy on swimming and are too exhausted to get any closer to shore. That's what happens when we focus all of our energy on the storms in our lives. We are so focussed on the difficulty, we cannot seem to focus on the One who is The Solution. We then become exhausted and fail to make any sort of progress toward shore.
Staying afloat.
The key to getting out of a strong current is to let it take you. It seems so counterproductive. I remember a few times where I knew that I shouldn't have been out in the water because the current was too strong. It took everything within me to allow those currents to take me. I wanted so bad to apply my solution of swimming hard to shore, but I knew it would make everything worse. Here's the thing, whatever storm you are going through, the way to stay afloat may be to do exactly what seems counterproductive. We live in a world that will sell you solutions to your problems that seem to make sense, but in the end, all you are doing is trying to swim toward the shore, and you become exhausted and everything gets worse. Next time you find yourself in a storm, make sure you don't deify your problems. Remember that God is much greater. Make sure you don't react out of panic. Know that the obvious solutions the world may sell you are often the most counterproductive. Seek God's way of staying afloat. It starts with remaining in Him through constant prayer, worship, and engagement in a Christian community.
I am, as many of you are, fluent in "Christianese." If someone is going through a storm, it simply means they are facing a difficulty in their life. Our storms usually consist of relational strain, financial issues, being hurt by others, stress from work. The list goes on. I have noticed we often speak so highly of our storms. We often make them seem so powerful, all-consuming, and the center of our attention. Don't get me wrong, there are some pretty nasty storms out there that do deserve attention, however, we need to remember that the power of God is greater than the most severe storm we could ever face. Let's not deify our storms.
Sink or swim?
When the storm comes, what are we supposed to do? I frequent the beach. I prefer to go out in the water on a day when the currents aren't too strong, however, if they are strong, that usually doesn't stop me. Whenever I am caught in one of those strong currents, the harder I swim the faster I sink. In that current, many will panic and allow their fear and anxiety to drive them to flail their arms and legs in an attempt to get out of that current. They focus all their energy on swimming and are too exhausted to get any closer to shore. That's what happens when we focus all of our energy on the storms in our lives. We are so focussed on the difficulty, we cannot seem to focus on the One who is The Solution. We then become exhausted and fail to make any sort of progress toward shore.
Staying afloat.
The key to getting out of a strong current is to let it take you. It seems so counterproductive. I remember a few times where I knew that I shouldn't have been out in the water because the current was too strong. It took everything within me to allow those currents to take me. I wanted so bad to apply my solution of swimming hard to shore, but I knew it would make everything worse. Here's the thing, whatever storm you are going through, the way to stay afloat may be to do exactly what seems counterproductive. We live in a world that will sell you solutions to your problems that seem to make sense, but in the end, all you are doing is trying to swim toward the shore, and you become exhausted and everything gets worse. Next time you find yourself in a storm, make sure you don't deify your problems. Remember that God is much greater. Make sure you don't react out of panic. Know that the obvious solutions the world may sell you are often the most counterproductive. Seek God's way of staying afloat. It starts with remaining in Him through constant prayer, worship, and engagement in a Christian community.