What Do the Storms Reveal about Us? 

Last week one of those summertime afternoon thunderstorms briefly brought some hail and strong wind to my neighborhood. Afterwards I discovered that those gusts had caused part of a neighbor’s dead tree to topple over into my backyard. I was somewhat surprised because I had not noticed the unhealthy condition of that tree previously as it had been hidden within a cluster of other trees.

Sometimes storms cause problems. If it rains as hard and as much as it has in some areas of our country, there is inevitably going to be flooding. And if winds are strong enough, such as from a tornado, no structures are going to be able to withstand its destructive force. However, many times the storms don’t actually cause the problems - they simply reveal issues that are already there. The rains may reveal that there are leaks in our roof or around our windows. The winds reveal the presence of a hidden dead tree. Those issues were already there, but it was the storm that brought them to the forefront.

The same holds true when it comes to the storms of life which we frequently face. We are sometimes quick to blame those storms for the damage left in their aftermath when in reality the crisis simply shed light on a problem that was already present. It wasn’t the storm that caused me to lose my temper, to cower in fear, to sink into depression, or to give in to worry. It may have been the occasion that precipitated my reaction, but it wasn’t really the cause. Apparently my trust in the Lord had already sprung some leaks. That stormy circumstance that hit didn’t lessen my faith, but it revealed that my faith wasn’t as strong as I thought it was.    

While we don’t enjoy having to face those difficult times, we can often learn from those experiences. They can show us truths about ourselves that we had failed to see before or maybe had refused to see. When we didn’t stand strong when some winds of adversity blew, we may have realized that we were not as rooted and grounded in our relationship with the Lord as we had supposed. We all have areas in our hearts and lives that still fall short of Christlikeness and need to be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. We still have much growing to do. The storms have a way of pointing those out to us.

It reminds me of Jesus’ story about the two men who built their houses. One house withstood the storm while the other was destroyed. The floods and wind hit both structures. The storm was not the problem. The cause of the fall of the one house was an issue that was already there before the storm hit. The house was built on unstable sand instead of on the solid rock.

What about us? Will our house stand when the storms come our way? The answer to that question may have little to do with the storm itself. Granted, some challenges we face in life are more difficult than others. Some tragedies are such that they can shake anyone. However, the main factor is not the strength of the storm but the strength of our house. Is it founded on the rock of a saving relationship with Jesus, steadfast trust in Him, and in our living in obedience to His will?

Now is the time to get our house prepared – before the storm hits. Now is the time to seal those leaks and to make sure our lives are still standing on a firm foundation. The storms will come. Let’s be ready for them.