I love to be in control of the things happening in my life,especially the bad stuff. That is not so unusual is it? The problem is the size of the storm facing us is often well beyond anything I can manage. We cannot stop a storm which we see approaching can we?
I have faced my fair share of stormy weather in my life. Most of us have. Bill and I have been campers for years. We have camped through some pretty wicked storms. It was not easy nor pleasant at the time. Bill always liked to remind me how these experiences were shaping my character. Not the best advice in the moment!
These are not the storms I am thinking about today, rather it is people. The ones who are making you crazy or tearing your heart out by the choices they are making. You want them to listen, change their ways! Sounds resonalble to me! Do they not care about how their choices are affecting other people..maybe ruining their own lives?
How can we make people change? If we are not talking about young children, it is pretty hard. When you have friends that you wish you could change,you really are faced with the imposible. The only person you can change is still you.
Perhaps you are a parent of a teen or adult child who is making very poor choices. Your heart feels like has sunk to your toes.
The Author of Peace is Jesus. We need peace in the storms of life. We need wisdom to navigate these rough waters, this crazy weather. Often there is no clear path in these situations. You are not alone my friend. Many people are living through something very similar to you.
The one person you can change is you. Take a hard look at yourself and ask what could I be doing to contribute to this situation? Sometimes we are contributing without realizing. I heard about one mom just yesterday. She desperately wants her son to walk with God. He actually has a soft heart towards God but his mom preaches at him incessently and it turns him off.
Parents need to know that there comes a day, when lectures "talks" that last a long time and are one sided, do not go far. Really you have about two sentences. Make them count. Kids also need to know they are being heard.
Bill and I have walked through our own dark valleys over the years, wishing we could drastically change someone very dear to us. We could not. All the talking, begging, looks of disappointment did not do it. We prayed and waited for God to intervene. It took some time. The storm was not short, but slowly it has passed. The clouds return sometimes, but we go to God.
Every situation is different clearly. This is how we deal with stoms though. God is our strength and source of wisdom, He is still the Good Shepherd on the pathway, even when it is stormy and we cannot see where we are going. This one thing we know and hold onto : God is bigger and more then able to walk with us through every storm.
God is big enough to walk with you through whatever you are facing. He loves you and is waiting to help you. Call to Him, read the Psalms and Proverbs. There is no shortage of comfort and wisdom waiting for you. The Bible is brimming over with everything you need to survive the storms.
We are not without hope.