Storms continue to race through England, flooding towns and villages, and weakening trees of long memories. The first wave was the storm of the year and the next of the past few years. Now they are talking in terms of centuries and recorded history. Lives are in turmoil, travel plans in a constant state of chaos, and uncertainty permeates most parts of daily living.
For the most part, I am dry. Everyone I know has at least one person in the network that is dealing with some form of a disaster. Houses are flooded, roads impassable, or trees are laying at rest in the most unusual places!
Yesterday, every metaphor of the England storms applied to my waking hours. There were moments of peace, but they were fleetingly short. The rolling series of events keeps on building. Stressful anticipation and then being on the spot in presentations. The requirement to complete unending and difficult conversations with peers and employees. Trying to communicate complex, difficult, and problematic situations to people who want to help but are unknowingly doing everything but. The final lull and preparation before a critical set of events today that my support network does not seem to appreciate.
I doubt that my storms are any worse than yours are. Life continues to batter in ways that are innocent and unknowing. On any given day, the pitch of the wave can seem like imminent destruction. Just when I think the issues are subsiding, that the efforts of yesterday are going to pay off, the winds begin to increase their strength. Storms never really end!
Generations have faced the same challenges. Some dealt with the uncertainty and challenges better than others did. In my view, Jesus and Paul were models. Jesus never stayed with yesterday's storm; he looked to where he could make a difference now. Paul never meditated on his life before God; he was open to where and what God wanted him to be in the present.
Come and trust God; we can live in the moment. “That's exactly what Jesus did.” (Romans 15.3)
