Faith
I was trying to teach her a basic fact of life. "Storms ARE going to come," I said. As from God, the words echoed in my mind, "Yes, storms are going to come." I was speaking to my daughter, but He was speaking to me.
She gets so upset about the weather. She constantly watches the forecast - Bill Meck is her favorite meteorologist - and she always wants me to check the radar on the computer. The thought of a thunderstorm, with all its lightning, thunder, and (worst of all) tornadoes, terrifies her 7-year-old mind.
Her preoccupation with it all has really worn on me lately, ever since a tornado hit town a couple of months ago. I've told her over and over not to worry about it. I'm trying to get her to see that bad weather, especially in the spring and summer, is just a fact of life. It's going to rain, and we WILL have thunder and lightning. Tornadoes, while not common, are something we need to be aware of, but not become obsessed with. She often asks, "Is it going to rain tonight, Daddy?" Half listening, I say something like, "Uh, I don't think so...maybe...I'm not sure." To me it doesn't really matter if it rains. My life will be virtually the same whether it's pouring down outside or not. But it's all that matters to her right now.
Just as I said the words, "Storms are going to come", I realized God was speaking to me. Only an hour or so earlier I had scoffed inside when reading about others who continued to praise Him through various difficult circumstances: divorce, losing a child, etc. Their faith carried them through those tough times. To that I was saying, How can you be so naive? If God really cared, do you think He'd be letting you go through all that?
Yes, recent times have been a low point in my walk of faith. Seldom have I so wanted to feel closer to God and be able to trust Him, yet felt so empty inside, unable to muster much, if any, lasting faith. A day or an hour of faith and reliance on God has been followed by an equal or greater amount of time living as a "moral freelancer", doing my own thing. Then I become repulsed at what I've become inside and run back to Him for a time, waiting for the pull of the world and its diversions to woo me away. Up and down, day after day, week after week. It's not all bad, but it's not all good either.
Thinking back on it now, I'm not sure if I actually said those words to her, or if I just thought them. Nevertheless, they were definitely echoed inside my head. Was it God saying the same thing to me? Doubt creeps in. Was He using Erin and her innocent fear of nature and faith in me to teach me how to love and trust Him? It's difficult for me to discount the thought that my mind may only be jumping to conclusions about the voice of God. If He was speaking to me, how can I really listen to Him and take the lesson to heart?
Her fear and worry, while natural, are painful to me. It is hard, as her father who loves her dearly, to see her in angst over an approaching storm. Doesn't she know I'd do anything I had to do to protect her from it? If I couldn't keep her safe, I'd certainly die trying. There's nothing I wouldn't do for either of my children to protect them from bodily harm. All I want them thinking about before bedtime is how comforting snuggling up with their favorite pillow and blanket is going to be. A storm, outside the protective walls of our house, is the last thing I want on their minds.
Is God using Erin to teach me lessons on trust and peace from Matthew 6 and Philippians 4? I ponder the possibility that He wants me to trust Him in the same way that I want her to listen to me and trust me. Of course, I believe that to be true. But it's not always easy to translate that into the heart.
My mind wonders if God is telling me not to worry about the storms of life. "Yes, storms are going to come," He says. "But don't worry, I'll protect you from them. Cuddle up and think about pleasant things like I told you to do in Philippians 4:8."
My mother used to tell me something similar when I was little. I remember one time when I was about six and was having trouble going to sleep. Holding me in her arms she said, "Think about good things and it'll help you fall asleep." Even then I pictured the stereotypical idyllic field with soft green grass, a clear blue sky, and sunshine. I reservedly conclude that God is whispering the same thing to me now, some 30 years later.
If it's true that God loves me immeasurably more than my mom loves me or I love my children, then I'm in good hands after all. The storms WILL come, but He’ll be right there with me, holding my hand through it all.
Now, if I can only convince my daughter…
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
Good parenting/family article, Clay. You and I are learning the same lessons from our children. God is absolutely teaching you through your daughter. See a similar theme in my own article "The Lessons of Right Relationships." When many people begin hearing the same messages through the same means, that's the Holy Spirit telling God's people something important.
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1284 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Clay Drysdale or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1284 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.