Storms

Wow

Today is the day after a pretty fierce storm. As I looked out the window I could see the clouds forming and sky getting dark. The next thing you know, I could see the wind whipping and rain just pouring. Then it rained sideways, you know where the wind is so fierce that the rain is falling diagonally.

A tree broke in front of the office and a portion of it fell onto the sidewalk. This is was a fast moving blow in, blow up, blow out kind of storm. I hadn't seen one of these that looked so dark in a long time.

Yes, life is like that. In fact many of us are in storms right now. I recently read an article from Rick Warren that said life is a series of problems. You are either in one, just out of one, or about to be in one. Yet it seems we are always surprised to be in one. Surprised and in disbelief that we could be enduring this, or going through this. I want to encourage all of you. I want to encourage myself. Storms blow, Christ is constant. Me - I guess I am sometimes the leaf, blown about, and sometimes the rock.

We all will encounter storms. Remember our life is the warm up act for eternity. We go through problems to grow character. I know what you are thinking, when is our character going to be grown. I wish my was fully there, but I guess it isn't. So from time to time, the rains come, the winds blow, it gets dark. Then after all the nastiness the sun shines, and a new day begins.

Shalom (Peace) to you all

J

"In the end the pessimist may be right, but the optimist has a better time on the journey along the way."