No one likes to face storms in life. They can be big or small, but they seem to leave some kind of scar on you once they are over.

I have sat in front of my laptop to write this post four times in the last few weeks. I never made it past the title. I have juggled so many emotions. Storms will reveal a lot about a person….just like they do a tree. If a tree is weak, it will break in a storm. If it lacks the proper root system, it will be uprooted and tossed around in a storm. However, if a tree is strong & has proper support– it will stand tall. If the support goes deep then it can withstand the forces that would cause a weaker tree life-threatening damage.

Which category do you fall in? When a storm comes, what does it reveal about your character?. Is your foundation strong? How deep do your roots go? Does a storm break you? Do you run in fear? It is natural to feel pressure and stress, but the Bible talks about having a peace that passes all understanding. Anyone that has a relationship with Christ can hold on to that truth. We still feel the storm, but have the strength to stand in the midst of it.

We have been in the midst of a storm. Well, honestly, it feels like we have been living in a storm for quite a while now.

We have learned that even when you think you have no strength left– there is always a little bit more for you to rely on.  That strength you need when you feel your most desperate and most vulnerable comes directly from God. He may use friends or family to encourage you and lift you up. He is the source of true hope.

My husband’s mother recently passed away after 15 days in the hospital fighting cancer. A 15 day stay in the hospital with all of us shuffling schedules to make sure someone was with her all the time– that in itself was stressful. To face the reality that she didn’t seem to be getting better and then to talk with your kids to prepare them and make them aware of how serious this was — also difficult and stressful.

Nothing could prepare us for actually losing her. I watched my husband show such strength. I stood beside him and was there to help in any way that I could. I watched as he checked on all the other family members and offered to get them tissues or bottled water at the viewing. As a pastor, this is what he was used to doing for families at this time. He showed such strength and support for everyone else. I sat in the chapel as he officiated his own mother’s funeral and wondered how in the world he had found the courage to do that.

But I know the answer to that.

When we face the storms in life, we can rely on HIS strength. We can rest in HIM.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”   ~2 Corinthians 4:16

“But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.”         ~ Psalm 37:39

I can live my life with confidence that when storms come….God is there….He is my strength. I can handle anything that comes my way, as long as my focus stays on God. No matter how intense the storm may be….even when I feel like I am about to fall. I can trust in HIM and know that he controls the storm.

We are still going through some hard times. Although one storm has passed and another seems to have come in right behind it, my family can stand firm. We can know that in the midst of hard times, He is faithful. Keeping our eyes on HIM will be our protection no matter how severely  the storm rages around us.