Storm-Wind

 I wasn't sure I'd ever heard the wind blow as fiercely as it did a few nights ago. The weather forecast had warned us it was coming but somehow, I underestimated just how strong it would turn out to be. Winds had been steady all day but when evening fell, they went up to a whole other level. As I checked my weather app, I could see the mph rising by the hour: 13 mph, then 18, 25, 37, etc. until the gusts were clocking at well over 40 mph. Nestled between two ridges and with lots of trees around my house, I could only imagine how blown about others were who live on higher evaluations with less protection. Those who are more exposed in order to get the better view sometimes pay a dear price in these situations. I hoped they were okay. 

As I went to bed that night and said a prayer the power would stay on as the lights flickered in the high gusts, I thought of how my family intentionally chose to build this house here in this way. They could've kept their property out in the valley and battled winds like this on the daily. But something about the sheltered life drew them here, next to the roaring river and settled on firm bedrock... our "cozy cottage in the woods," as we always called it, borrowing a title from a childhood favorite book we loved. In times like these, the choice to build a life in the protection of the trees and ridges around us has paid off time and time again. In earthquakes, winds, and all manner of stormy weather, as others fought the elements and sometimes endured great damage due to their location, we've always been safe and nestled down here... out of the way. quiet. grounded. 

My family had the foresight to anticipate storms when they built here. They looked at the surroundings and selected the best possible place where the house would be sheltered and the winds could pass over us. It occurred to me that this isn't all that unlike real life - it's not a matter of if but when the harsh weather will happen. The rains, the winds, the snows, the cold are always going to find us at some point. They are unavoidable. But the real question is, are we living in anticipation of them? I don't mean to imply that we're meant to live in constant fear of what's coming but are we expecting and preparing correctly for the when they will inevitably hit? 

Jesus told a story about this in Matthew chapter 7 where two men built separate homes for themselves: one on the sand and the other on the rock. I can imagine the one who built on the sand was all about the view and the way the property looked. Perhaps brushing aside warnings from friends and neighbors who had experienced their own washouts, he went ahead and erected his house there. The other man carefully calculated his plans, assessed the risks, laid a good foundation, and anticipated foul weather. He knew the storms would arrive. Life can't be fair all the time, right? He built with confidence and assurance that he had taken all the necessary steps to ensure his building would stand the tests thrown at it. When the rains eventually came, the guy who built on sand had his house wiped out but the one who built on rock did not. 

Jesus's point was that wise people think ahead - they anticipate not just the great weather but the bad weather, too. They don't just assume things are going to be awesome all the time. They realize that they need to have a backup plan so that if things get hard, they can be assured that how they've built their life will last. As unpleasant as suffering is to all of us, it is a needful and inescapable aspect of life. Those who assume they can make it through without much pain, loss, or adversity are setting themselves up for failure because, when the storms do arrive, they will be left without anything to hold onto. They will be unprepared. 

As I lay in bed that night, listening to the winds howling outside and picturing the carnage that would be our woods come morning, I realized that you have to lean-in to the storms. You have to expect them and plan ahead. Thanks to things like a generator to run our house, extra food and water in case the power goes out, etc. we're pretty well set if something happens. Living in Alaska has forced us to adapt and prepare because life here isn't for the faint of soul. Those who are tend to move out of here after a few years. But those who stay know the perils of life here and are willing to do what it takes to anticipate them and survive. 

Life-storms are going to occur in your journey. You're going to face hardships and tests that threaten to shake up your whole reality. I've been there before. You're going to encounter problems that cause you to question everything you've believed or thought up that point. You're going to have losses that tear your heart in two and make you wonder if you'll ever feel whole again. You're going to walk through valleys that seem so dark you nearly forget that there is even a sunrise at all. Just as the wind-gusts were rattling my house and bending low every tree in the woods, you will come across tough situations that will ask things of you that you never envisioned - things that strip away all you've known and bring you to your knees in helpless prayer. 

While these moments may currently seem far off, they are coming for you at some point. Will you be ready? Are you like the wise builder, or even like my own family, where you stared into the future and told yourself it was better to be prepared? Have you assessed your foundation? Have you weighed the risks of where and what you're building upon? If not, then you need to begin today because at some point, your lack of preparation will catch up to you and you'll be regretting you didn't step up and see this coming. 

By the morning, the winds were dying down and I had slept peacefully through the night. The storms always pass. None lasts forever. But you need to do the hard work to shore up your mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health so that the storms don't take you out. Pay attention to the stories of those who have learned the hard way and do what it takes to ensure you'll survive the harsh weather when it hits. Someday, as the storm is raging around you, you can snuggle inside in peace and trust that you'll make it through.