Weathering Storms

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Strange as it sounds, awakening to that first tiny tingling sensation in my lip, indicating an imminent cold sore, has become a welcome occurrence. Cold sores are my body’s cue that an intensely stressful something has passed and that smoother emotional sailing is just ahead. As much as I dislike them, they are so accurately predictable that they’ve become a strange barometer measuring the passing of storms in my life.

And that’s just the thing—storms happen. We watch on wobbling video as tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires whip through the land, and in the same way, times of trouble blow through our lives with varying levels of intensity and destruction. Some storms are creatures of our own making, but many of them strike suddenly with no warning. There is nothing that we could or should have done to avoid them or make them go away.

And while the details of my particular storms might vary wildly, how I navigate them has become unwaveringly consistent.

1. Pray for others. While I don’t underestimate whatever I’m facing, I try to maintain an upward and outward perspective by interceding for others, even as I petition for myself. Too much navel-gazing can lead to a deep hole of self-pity, and while questions of “why me” are entirely normal, I try hard not to camp there for too long. Praying for others keeps me moving.

2. Rally friends. I tend to pull away from others when I’m in crisis. Don’t give in to the temptation to isolate. Let your friends know what is going on and ask those you trust to pray with and for you.

3. Count blessings. I look for even the smallest good in each day and make it a priority to purposely pause in thanksgiving over each one of those good things.

4. Meditate on Scripture. Tuck the promises of God into your heart. Tape Scripture to your mirror or put it on the fridge—wherever it is that you will trip across it as you go about your daily activities. We need God’s unwavering, unshakable, foundational truth in the midst of storms.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Do you have an intentional plan in place for weathering life’s storms? You are welcome to adopt and tweak mine, but be sure not to neglect practicing gratitude.