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As I write, the earth is blanketed in a covering of white, and snow continues to fall.

Underneath, the snow has a hazardous coating of ice, threatening falls and broken bones to the unaware. I am a senior citizen and will be housebound until the snow and ice have disappeared. The birds and squirrels who depend on me for their food must wonder what has happened to their source of nourishment.

Along with the storms of nature, many people also experience storms in their lives: losing a loved one, health concerns, marital stress, job loss, and other challenges. These storms can bring discouragement, depression, and doubt.

Two women experienced similar situations in their lives. Their husbands were ministers who left their wives for other women. After Janet’s husband left, she chose to return to the church her husband had served. Sue, on the other hand, became bitter. She turned from the church and her friends who were trying to help her. Bitterness crept into her heart and chiseled coldness into it.

The women served the same loving God but reacted differently to the grief of losing their husbands and beginning new lives without them.

Paul possibly experienced more trying times than any other New Testament writer. He was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, and left for dead. Yet he wrote many letters of encouragement to the struggling Christians in the churches he founded. Many of these letters were written when he was in prison. He learned through the hardships that when he was the weakest, he was the strongest in his relationship and dependency on God.

Have the storms in your life caused you to drift from the Lord who loves you with an indescribable love? Or have you allowed Him to comfort you and draw you into a deeper relationship with Him?

What have you done with your storms?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)