'In the Midst of the Storm' -- Teach Me, O Lord

My goal for starting this blog was simply to have a place in which to share and record my artwork. At the same time, I hope to encourage beginners within the world of paper crafting to just 'go for it'...wanting this blog to be a place where each of us can come, at whatever level of 'expertise' we find ourselves, and encourage one another and learn from one another. It is a goal I believe is shared by the majority of the paper crafting blogs available today.

At-the-same-time, I am a Christian woman...a subject I do have plans to write more about and add to my profile for those who might be interested. For now though, I want you to know that from time-to-time I may decide to post about things other than my artwork ....specifically, things of a spiritual nature. It is my hope you will enjoy reading these posts, but more importantly, I hope you will find them spiritually encouraging.

I've decided to title this series of postings, 'Teach Me, O Lord'. Anytime you see that title included to the post, you will know I am sharing one of my personal lessons from the Lord....Lessons I feel God is wanting ME to learn....Lessons from which I hope you will find even a nugget of encouragement.

With that said, today is one of those days....and when I am done I will be back to share a card with you.

During the very early hours of this morning, the Lord decided He would bless our area with some much needed rain. Not long after the rain began pouring down, God also began sharing 'His version' of a fireworks show. Streaming down from the heavens above came luminous streaks of lightening and boisterously booming sounds of thunder. Immediately, He had MY attention! Still, thinking (or maybe hoping) the storm would pass swiftly, I wasn't necessarily afraid, however; I was definitely 'aware' and did find it a 'little' unnerving. Grabbing an extra pillow, I covered my head and closed my eyes in a feeble attempt to escape the growing fierceness of the storm. As the lightening continued streaking across the skies illuminating the room with an intense brightness and as the sounds of thunder roared profoundly all about, I became more and more afraid. The storm seemed to grow with a fierceness unlike any I've seen in quite awhile and as the storm progressed, so did my fear. I laid in bed praying the Lord would keep us safe throughout the storm. I'm not certain exactly how long the storm lasted, but in my 'mind' and in my fear, it seemed nearly an eternity. And then, just as suddenly as it came, the thunder began to quieten and the lightening began to cease. Glancing quickly at the bedside clock, I realized the alarm would sound in just one more hour. Once again, the room became filled with darkness and I could now hear the 'sweet sound of silence' as I peacefully fell back to sleep for that one last hour of the night. Shortly after waking, my immediate reaction was to look outside and view the damage I most certainly expected from such a fierce storm as we had that morning. Looking through the bedroom windows I was both amazed and relieved with what I observed. The area, surrounding not only our home but also the homes of our immediate neighbors, was completely clear, clean, and void of any debris. And while my long stemmed flowers, along with their leaves, seemed to hug the ground closely, not even the tiniest branch from the many huge trees surrounding our homes lay broken on the ground. The view from each window of our home gave the same result: all was calm, all was good, all was safe! Having demonstrated His awesome power throughout the rough and violent storm of this morning, God was also proving once again His tender and loving nature. Re-enforcing in my heart and mind the fact that I can trust Him to carry me through each and every storm I face in life. Scripture is filled with teachings concerning fear and trust. One of my favorite is found in Isaiah 41:10 -- 'Fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness'. I can trust God with my fears, my doubts, my confusion. I can trust Him with my heart, my soul, my life. I can trust Him in all situations and with all things of my life no matter how big or small....the question is....'WILL I'. While it isn't always easy, in fact it is sometimes downright HARD, I am learning more and more each day to trust my life into His care. I strive each day to place my whole life into the hands of my loving, patient, kind and forgiving, faithful and true, Heavenly Father. He is the Only One who is able to hold me and keep me safe within the palms of His hands. The same ONE who is Able to keep me safe in the midst of the storm of this morning, is the same ONE who is ABLE to keep me safe in the midst of all life's storms! And so, I am thankful for the storm of this morning. While the storm brought fear, my Savior brought calm. Indeed I was afraid, but I can find comfort as I remember the words of David -- "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee" Psalm 56:3.

May you find encouragement,
Barbg(WV)