Sixteen years ago when the planes hit, life stood still. In 1999, flood waters filled my mother’s house and sat for seven days, life stood still. As the winds blew around my house in Naples yesterday, life stood still even though I traveled to New York City. I wake up this morning to a text from our neighbors that they will check our house soon. Life stands still even though the traffic, horns, and sirens do not stop.
Living the baseball life, I am away from my house a great deal. We have been given the best neighbors anyone could ever desire. They began storm preparations on my house without question. They called and said, “We are…” The list of things they did for us is amazing.
The amazing peace of the Lord has filled me from the beginning. Thank you, Lord, my treasures are stored elsewhere! My eternal treasures are piled high. My family is not in Naples. You are my rock, my firm foundation. When fear rose, his peace overwhelmed it. When thoughts run wild, his mercy abounds. The great ‘I am.’ No evil can stand against him. I stand still with him.
I want to panic and call and watch and think. But I have to remember God is in control. There is nothing I can do. My being stands with the great I am. He takes care of me in it all. Life stands still.
The storms of life will redirect your thinking. When I had to clean out my mother’s house with my siblings in 1999 the stuff that filled it lay in piles of destruction at the edge of the road. When the storm of 2017 came my mother’s house was spared. Pondering what could have happened, I was amazed how much more stuff had accumulated within those walls. What do we need? Why do we attain more than we need? What is the issue that makes us gather stuff? And all that stuff can be gone in an instant. Our lives are more important. Gather your treasures in kindness, love, and joy, this is where my thinking went after the first storm that destroyed my mother’s home.
Pray. Yes, I pray. I pray for the safety of the people, our neighbors, and friends who stayed. I cannot pray it goes in a different direction, where it could hurt others. I pray for safety, protection, and decreased strength of the storm. I can’t pray for my stuff. It’s just stuff. I pray that His Spirit continues to fill each of us affected with the peace that we cannot comprehend.
My God is the great I am. When life stands still he is still at work.
I pray for the best but know there will be some destruction. I wait, filled with the peace of the Lord to find out.
Praising.
Thanking.
Glorifying.
Thoughtful and peaceful.
I wasn’t always like this, seeking him before going into all out panic. Now, I praise him for his enduring love and mercy. I am thankful that I know he takes care of us through it all. I lift his glorious name up in all of this! Even if the outcome is not what I hope it will be.
Still yet moving.
In the chaos, Lord, you are my peace.
How do you handle stressful situations?
