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Sailing into a Storm

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Another beautiful sunset from my recent vacation.

Lessons from the Storm at Sea

On my recent vacation that I mentioned here, we came across some rough weather. It was our second day at sea, and my Mom, my sister, and I were enjoying lunch when my sister saw a flash of lightening. I kinda brushed it off. I didn’t see the lightening because I was sitting in the opposite direction of her.

After a few minutes, my sister saw more lightening.  And eventually I saw the flashes off in the distance. I also saw the storm clouds. Uh oh.

What comforted me were the thoughts that God was ultimately in control, and the crew must have been used to maneuvering around this kind of weather. I’m sure the captain didn’t panic. I’m guessing he didn’t get tempted to turn around and retreat or cancel the trip. I’m sure he had experienced this hundreds of times and was prepared to stay the course. The ship may have taken some extra steps to get out of harms way, but the mild storm didn’t seem to rattle the captain or crew enough to stop them in their tracks.

What an odd feeling to be on the ship calmly headed in the general direction of a storm. After I finished eating, I just went about my relaxing day.

What would happen if we approached the storms in our lives with that same quiet confidence? As believers, God is the “Captain” of our lives. He knows how to navigate us through any storm or trial.

Oh, that we would TRUST God to be the Sovereign Lord of our lives! Every area of it!

It did rain that day, but we were all safe in the ship, thank God.

The rain followed us a bit, which was fine. When we arrived at the first island the following day, there was a brief sun shower that didn’t stop any of our fun. The next day at the second island, we must have just missed the morning showers because there was a STUNNING rainbow there to greet us!

So what are some of the lessons I was reminded of?

When Storms Come, They Don’t Have to Paralyze us or Deter us. With God’s Grace, we can continue on the path that He has for us. We don’t have to cower in fear or give up even when things look rather dark or scary. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Trust that the Lord, our ultimate Captain, Knows how to Get us Through the Storms Safely! God isn’t asleep at the wheel. Your storms haven’t caught Him by surprise. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You can Still Enjoy Your Life Even While it’s Pouring. Thankfully, storms don’t last forever. But don’t wait until they’re over to praise God. Ask God to give you the strength to worship Him and thank Him despite the clouds, wind, and rain. “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” (Psalm 34:1)

Rejoicing and Rainbows Come After the Storms! God will bring you through, and will restore you, renew you, and refresh you. He’ll also put a new song in your heart! “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,  that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” (Psalm 30:11-12)

No matter how hard the wind is blowing right now, be encouraged that God is with you! He knows the exact route to take to get you to where you’re going!

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

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Receive It!

Lessons from the Sunrise

OceanSunset.jpeg

During my recent vacation to the Caribbean, I was excited about catching a glimpse of a sunrise over the ocean. I’m so not a morning person, but I didn’t want to miss out on the spectacular sight.

The only problem was that on the particular morning that I peeled myself out of bed in time, it was really rainy and overcast. What a major bummer! I had gotten up extra early for seemingly nothing.

The day did clear up, and I eventually forgot about the disappointment of not seeing the sunrise. That evening I enjoyed watching a gorgeous sunset like the one pictured above instead. Truly amazing!

The following morning included a mad dash to get to breakfast before visiting our first island. Trying to catch the sunrise was NOT on my schedule, but I was happily surprised.

While we were eating at a table near a window, the beautiful, bright sun came rising up in all its splendor to greet us. It was so breathtaking! And because I wasn’t “striving” to see it, it felt even more like a gift from my Heavenly Father.

So what was the difference?

The first morning it was all about my agenda and having the sunrise fit into my “to-do list”. The following day, it was an unexpected blessing. It was a very welcome interruption to my plans.

Here are just a few thoughts I’d like to share from this experience:

Things are Better When we Sit Back, Relax, and Let God be GOD! – I admit I’m more of a doer. I like to set goals and achieve them. I like to co-labor with God to get things done. Those are good characteristics, but God has been showing me that sometimes it’s better to Be Still and let Him work. Is it easy? NO! Is it possible with God’s help? Absolutely!

Leave Room for God to Surprise You! – There’s no use trying to figure out everything or trying to keep God in a box. He’s too Glorious for that! What He has for you is better than you can even imagine! Just typing that made me smile! What about you? Will you try to stop controlling every detail and let God Almighty have His way in your life? Will you receive the gifts He has especially for you?

Slowing Down can Actually be a Good Thing. – Is God working out the fruit of patience in you as well, my Friend? If so, no worries. God knows what He’s doing and He’s never late. Sometimes when we get caught up in a flurry of activities and feverishly try to check off items from our never-ending list of tasks, we miss out on some of the best parts of our days.

It’s great to have goals and plans. Yes, act when God tells you to act. But hold steady when God says so. While you wait, don’t forget to enjoy something as Miraculous and Lovely as a sunrise or sunset!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  (James 1:17)

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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