God has a way of bringing each of us through the storms and trials in life. This winter definitely hasn’t been a typical Alaskan winter. After the last 4 seasons of being much colder and with higher amounts of snow accumulation, this makes me feel like spring time has arrived and we are in early January.
We’ve had unseasonably warm temperatures for extended periods of time, giving us wintery mixes, rain and glazed over pavement for walking and driving on. Needless to say, we’ve had to exercise extra caution, be mindful of and attentive to our surroundings, other times it’s been a slushy mess on the roads with water accumulation in the ruts.
This weekend’s storm brought us something out of the ordinary. We’ve had other winter seasons with strong winds, rain and unseasonably warm temperatures, but nothing quite like this. As you can see, we have green grass in January. My family mentioned about how we can go outside and walk barefoot in the grass and get grounded. I agreed this was an excellent idea!
In our area (as I know everyone’s experience was different depending on where they live), we had strong wind gusts ranging from 40-70 (and possibly even more at times).
The trees were almost constantly bending over from the force of the wind. Fortunately, no trees fell around our house, which I was rather surprised about.
Seeing the amount of rain we were getting, I collected a few other storage totes and proceeded to fill what I could with rain water. We started doing this last summer with all the rain we were getting to provide our houseplants with water over fall, winter and spring. Approximately 3 storage totes were filled with rainwater.
Throughout this weekend storm, I got to thinking about a few things.
First, storms in life are necessary. They change us, humble us, help us to bring light and see things from a new perspective. God wants a relationship with us and oftentimes it takes a storm, a trial, turbulent times to get our attention and focus on him.
Next, regardless of what it is we are experiencing in our lives, God will bring us through it. It’s easy to become fearful, afraid of what may come next and where you do you go from here. We need to continue to trust in His plans and know that what He has in store for us is most certainly something good. We can’t see what’s next, so that is why it is important to walk by faith, not by sight and know that everything is going to be alright.
Even though we were all experiencing the storm in a different way, I got to thinking more about what God needs me to do during this time. In a way, it was like a time of preparation. How was I going to show up? How was I going to respond?
Knowing we have been having unseasonably warm temperatures, the importance of having the rain water for our house plants, I needed to make the most of this time and gather this gift God has given us during the winter months, let alone in January. I was going to save up for a later time. Who knows, we may have a very hot and dry summer and will need rainwater to nourish our plants at a later time. Regardless, I felt this sense of urgency, a need to prepare for the coming days.
As the storm calmed, the dark clouds gave way to the sun and sunlight penetrated through the clouds. Glimpses of blue skies reminded me that the storm was about to pass. Yes, there were still clouds in the skies, but today’s storm had come to an end.
I felt this lightness in my spirit. God always shines through us and onto us, providing a reassurance this was only temporary, a moment in time.
Like the birch and pine trees in my yard, I, too, have stayed deeply rooted, trusting in His protection, trusting in His provision, trusting in His purpose for me in this lifetime. Although I may have wavered, I remained strong knowing my faith runs deep. I have the strength to weather out the storms, the trials (regardless of size), that each day brings.
I’ve prayed for protection, to keep us safe during these times (and always), I’ve prayed for a peaceful and joy filled heart and mind, to help me focus on and fix my gaze on Him.
What a kind, caring, loving and compassionate Father we have! I am honored to be His daughter! I thank you for being my brothers and sisters in Christ! We can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens us!
Magnificent Meraki 