A Child's Wisdom

My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by hurricane Sandy. I pray that God will give you the strength and the means to make it through this trying season and, despite your suffering, show you that there is a brighter tomorrow.

I composed this post four years ago, but its content is relevant for these times. I trust that you will be blessed by it.

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My seven-year-old granddaughter looked out the window at the swaying trees, driving rain and darkened landscape, and uttered these words: "Tomorrow will be a sunny day." I remembered this remark when, about half an hour later, the clouds lifted, the pounding rain became a drizzle and the trees were still. What wisdom from a child's lips!
Her words led me to think about the storms of life. They come in all their fury, with little or no warning, scaring us, reducing us to trembling shadows of our former selves, and then, they are gone. We breathe a huge sigh of relief. Why were we afraid? Why did we worry?

It's only natural. The human mind reacts strongly to any kind of stimuli to which it is unaccustomed. We crave the familiar comforts of everyday life. We do not want anything to disturb the normal rhythm of our existence. But what is normal? Is it never having dark, gloomy days and stormy nights? Is it always rising with the sun and trying to outdo the birds with our singing? Is it always having our eggs done exactly right and finding the right pair of socks?

I think not. Life comes at you fast, to quote a modern cliche. Lightning flashes out of a clear blue sky, the postman brings a packet that you want to hurl out the window, a telephone call sends your world spinning. Life comes at you fast. Storms happen. Your boat threatens to overturn. And Jesus is asleep. You wake Him up. He comes. "Peace, be still," He says-and peace returns.

It's that simple? Well, almost. First you must have Him in your boat. If you have someone else, it may not work. Then, you must stay close to Him. During the storm my grandchildren put away their books, play stations, everything and huddled close to me. That's what you do when the storms strike. Draw near to Jesus, and tomorrow will be a sunny day.