WEATHERING THE STORM

Then they cried out to the LORD in

their trouble, and he brought them 

out of their distress. He stilled the

storm to a whisper; the waves of the

sea were hushed. They were glad

when it grew calm, and he guided

them to their desired haven. 

(Psalm 107:28-30, NIV)

So far this chapter has been overwhelming and frustrating. Sometimes it's hard to keep my focus on the blessings and stand strong.

I have much to be thankful for, I know, and not all the frustrations are major. Some are just drops in the bucket, except that the bucket they keep drip, drip, dripping into is already full to the brim. 

Last night we had a sudden rain, and the raindrops sounded like rocks being hurled against my window. I was sure that would be the end of my little sunflower and the few buds that had sprung up from my botched attempt to grow wildflowers in window boxes.

Then I misplaced a little slip of paper with some important information on it that I had no way of replicating. I knew where I had put it on top of a pile of paperwork on my bedroom floor, but it wasn't there, and by the time I went through that pile over and over and exhaustion forced me to stop, it was almost 3:00 AM. 

This morning, the first thing I did was check on the wildflowers on my balcony. They had managed to weather the storm just fine. The little sunflower was intact, and one of the buds had opened into a lovely blue flower. 

Next, I decided to tackle the pile of paperwork once again and go through it piece by piece, but there was no need. As I reached down to pick it up, there, right in front of my eyes, was that little piece of paper, sitting exactly where it was supposed to be. 

My heart was overflowing, but there was one more Godwink to come. When I turned on my radio, the first words I heard were Katy Nichole singing, "Hold on just a little bit longer."

My eyes teared up as I thought of how patient and longsuffering God is, and how instead of getting frustrated and giving up on me, He would send me these little personal signs of encouragement to remind me to trust Him and not give up.