Singin' and Dancin' in the Rain!

Where I live is supposed to get some bad storms today. Of course, we had a 90% chance of severe weather a couple of days ago and it proved to be a non-event. But I digress…

I know I must sound like a raving lunatic when I talk about how much I love storms, but I really do. I don’t want anybody to get hurt or for anything to get torn up…but I love a good thunderstorm. But storms get a bad rap most of the time.

“Storm-haters” complain about the inconvenience and potential of bad weather, but they never talk about the good things about storms. Thunderstorms can bring much needed moisture to areas. They often prune our trees of dead branches. They even lessen the amount of pollen in the air, making life a bit more bearable for allergy sufferers. What I’m saying is that not everything about storms is bad; sometimes storms do good (by God’s design, no doubt).

Keep in mind, though, that not all storms are the result of atmospheric disturbances. We call them “storms of life,” and they are more personal and painful than the rain and wind of thunderstorms. But the same is true of life’s storms that is true of storms in general—some storms do more good than bad. In other words, good often comes out of the bad.

A few years ago Joel Ruth discovered a (formerly) hidden treasure on the beaches of Florida, $40,000 worth of nearly 300-year-old near-mint-condition silver coins to be exact. The coins were from a Spanish treasure fleet of about a dozen ships that were destroyed by a hurricane in 1715. It took another hurricane, Hurricane Jeanne in September of 2004, to uncover the Spanish treasure.

How often do we miss the good of life’s storms? How often are we so focused on the sights and sounds of storms that we miss what God is trying to tell us as He speaks from within the storm (as opposed to in the absence of the storm)? How often has God uncovered some “treasure” but we were unwilling to look for it? As storms (hopefully) pass through Middle Tennessee today, ask God to reveal the good that He wants to accomplish through your current “life storms.”

I’m reminded of the time when Jesus’ disciples were struggling to row their boat against a storm…when they saw Jesus walking on the water! Besides the obvious miracle before them, Jesus was walking on top of the very waves that were threatening them with so much harm. I’m encouraged by that! No matter what is going on in my life today, Jesus is greater than my storm.

“Thank you, Lord, for the storms…and for the hidden treasures that you sometimes reveal through the storms. Also, thank you for the rainbow after the storm is over. May I ever be mindful that without the rain, we’d never see such unparalleled beauty. And, Father, teach me the joy of singin' and dancin' in the rain!”