get you down or lift you up…

it is important to see your storms from a new perspective.

“a fishing fleet left a small harbor in newfoundland and was caught in a terrible storm. when night came, the ships were scheduled to return home, yet none of them did.

all night long the mothers, wives, and children of the fishermen walked the shores looking for some sign of their loved ones, praying tearfully that god would bring them back safely. adding to their anxieties, one of the homes in the village caught fire in the middle of the night. since all of the men were gone, it burned to the ground.

but as the morning dawned, the entire fleet of ships sailed safely back into the harbor. all of the villagers rejoiced when they saw their men safely home, except the woman whose home had burned down. approaching her husband with grief written across her face, she cried out, ‘we are ruined! our home and everything we had was destroyed by fire.’

her husband, however, just shook his head. ‘thank GOD for the fire!’ he exclaimed. ‘it was the light of our burning home that guided the whole fleet into port.’”

listen, that storm that you are going through can be an answer to your pray. it may not be the way you would answer it but the storm can be a beacon to that neighbor, that child, that spouse, that relative that needs to see if what you say you believe really does make a difference in those storms of life that we all are going to go through.  you can say, “we have survived. instead of getting in despair we got on top of the storm and we made it an adventure. and we have some great stories to tell.” and satan now knows that this is not the way that he is going to get you down.

you see, you can either let the storm get you down or lift you up. let GOD have your confidence and your total trust because, those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles. isaiah 40.31 (niv)

just a thought from the front porch…