In a Hurricaine

Whew. That was a rough one.

I feel like the winds are starting to die down, but man ...those winds were ahowlin'!

As a friend put it, after I blogged about my whirlwind a few weeks ago, it suddenly shifted into a full blown hurricane.

How appropriate, since the physical weather and my spirit seemed to be matching each other as we watched Irene creep closer to the east coast, and then eventually bypass Charleston, South Carolina. As her winds picked up, the intensity around here did too.

Still much blessed, over the past several weeks I have had my heart full of the struggles and frustrations of many of those close to me. I have at times felt the most overwhelmed I have felt in a very long time, as I have watched many DIFFERENT loved ones struggle with profoundly difficult experiences ...divorce, death of a 4-month old baby, loss of a job, illness of a child, church turmoil ..its been a doozy of a month.

There have been times when the wind has been howling in my ears to the point that I wanted to just curl up in a ball and let it all pass over me.

The winds are starting to settle, though certainly there is still a significant breeze and wake of damage behind it. There is much recovery to be done, hurting hearts that need healed, new job positions to seek out, houses to sell, moves to make, relationships mended, grief to journey through and a continued monitor of precious little bodies that need physical healing as well.

It's in the moments of both the overwhelming kind and the moments when they pass, that you realize how great a God we have.

If you have ever been in a natural disaster, you know that when it passes you turn in awe at the incredible power and damage that these forces can create. You would most likely be in awe of the degree of devastation and then are so thankful that you survived it...and then worship God for how powerful He is.

In some ways I feel that way now - as I look to see how God has been present and accounted for in each and every difficult situation of the past several weeks. He will continue to do so, we have a ways to go in every situation. But, God has already demonstrated his power by getting us this far; by being faithful to this point, and by remaining close by throughout.

I am reminded this morning of one of my favorite images ...

"The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave." 1 Kings 19-11-12

May we always seek God in the howling winds and the gentle whispers, and may we find Him wherever He is ..for it is only through Him that we will survive these storms ...

{Welcome ifellowshippers ...I am blessed to have you here!}