Fear

Tornado Lessons

DrJayCook Adversity , , , , ,

Where were you on Monday evening (November 20, 2023)?

I was driving on Highway 16 and reached the Farmhaven community a little after 6:00 p.m.  It was raining.  Then the winds picked up and hail began to fall.  Suddenly, the interior of my truck was filled with the sound of something like a loud whistle.  I later discovered that what I thought was happening WAS happening: a tornado was very close.

I grabbed the steering wheel tightly with both hands.  I became hyper-alert as limbs began to fall.  I wished for the 18-wheeler ahead of me to speed up.  I prayed.

Since I am writing this article, you probably gathered that I came out of the situation unscathed.  However, it did make me think about the trials we face in life.  Perhaps we all can learn a thing or two from the storms.

I grabbed the steering wheel tightly because I knew that I had to be careful; trials make us realize that we must be careful to not do things we should not do out of fear.  I became very alert because I knew that I must be focused; trials drop lots of “limbs” around us that must be navigated around.  I wished to go faster because I wanted to get out of the area as soon as possible; trials lead us to look for solutions to get out of the trials quickly.  I prayed because I knew that I must; trials help us realize that we really do need God’s help in the trials and in between the trials.

You probably knew those things.  I did, but I was reminded of the importance of them Monday night.

It is moments like that that make certain verses stand out to me.  What came to my mind was Philippians 4:6-7: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

We cannot avoid the “tornadoes” of life, but we can trust the One who loves us.  God knows.  God sees.  God cares.  And He will help you through the storms when you place your faith in Him.

Consider the following resource to go deeper. Click the picture to find out more…

What Do You Do When the World Is a Mess?

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The year is not over, but it is obvious that this has been a troubled year thus far.  We have watched inflation rates rise steadily along with the price of everything else.  We have witnessed war in Ukraine.  We have seen mobs in action.  We have been shocked as hatred spilled over in the Middle East.  And many of us have faced turmoil in our individual lives.

How can we face these things?  What can we do?

For those who have chosen to follow Jesus, we know that He told us in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”  We know that is what He said, yet I see troubled and fearful hearts all around.

The reason that our world is a mess is because the world is a mess.  None of us are pure and sinless.  Sin is found in all of us, and that sin can lead to bigger and bigger tragedies.  Our own sinfulness has gotten us to this point.

As I have discovered, the only source of true hope and peace is found in Jesus.  Without Him, we are without hope and peace.  With Him, we can face the mess of our world.  We can experience the promise found in Psalm 34:4: “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and rescued me from all my fears.”

God does not cause evil.  We do that.  However, He is here, and He desires to help us face life’s messes.  He does not promise to take the messes away, but He promises to help us and work good out of evil for those who accept His salvation.

And that leads to what we should do – here – now.  Though none of us have a voice at the negotiating table, we can make an impact.  We can pray for our leaders to have wisdom and to do what is right (not necessarily what politics suggest).  We can pray for those in struggles to find safety, hope, and peace.  We can financially support those reputable organizations that are “on the ground.”  We can begin to change things on a global level by changing things on a local level by sharing the hope and peace of Jesus.

Yes, the world is a mess.  But we can do something about it.

Consider the following resource for more insight. Just click the picture to learn more…

I Cannot See It

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Do you remember Bob Ross painting on PBS?

He created amazing paintings and made it look easy.  You may remember one of his famous sayings: “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.”  Put a blob of paint on the canvas, and he would turn it into a beautiful tree, mountain, or other item.

Bob could see the big picture.

My dad and I loved to hunt.  One morning in a new area, he left me on a ridge.  It was freezing, I was young, and I thought I would feel better if I was walking.  I was sure that I knew the layout of the land (that I had never explored), so I set off.  You can imagine what happened.  I lost my way.  I could not determine where I was.  I saw trees everywhere, but I could not see where I was.  I guess I could not see the forest for the trees.

Life is like that.  We are plodding along, dealing with one issue at a time, and never seeing the big picture.  We travel so far that we lose our bearing, and we do not know where to go or what to do.

There have been plenty of times when I have dealt with schemes of people with evil intentions, and it seemed like their schemes had destroyed the plans that I did have.  But when I have trusted God, He always proved faithful.  Things turned out like Joseph stated to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “‘You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people.’”

So, why do we not trust Him more?  Why do we not remember His faithfulness when we need Him most?  Do we not remember the promise He made to Israel (which still lines up with His character today)?  “‘For I know the plans I have for you’ – this is the LORD’s declaration – ‘plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The big picture is not easy to see when you are surrounded by trees.  The mistakes do not look like happy accidents when you are dealing with the pain.  But God is faithful; He never breaks His word, and He is not going to start with you.

I finally walked out of the woods into a clearing – not knowing where I was.  And then I heard a whistle.  My father’s whistle.  I was no longer lost.  I was no longer alone.  I was SO happy.

And it never fails.  No matter how thick or dark the woods may seem.  My Heavenly Father’s whistle always guides me to safety – to a future and a hope.

Your path may not be clear.  But He is there.  Trust Him.

Check out the following resource to find out more. Click the picture to see for yourself…

I Didn’t Expect That!

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What do you do when you did not know what you would face?

I did not know that I would crash my bike. I did not know that my father would have Alzheimer’s. I did not know that Covid was coming. I did not know that the economy would be like a rollercoaster. I have not known a lot of things.

Many people tend to roll with the punches. Many people tend to withdraw and let fear control them. Many people tend to pretend that the unexpected never happened. But what do you do?

Whether we like it or not, we cannot anticipate the unexpected. We can prepare for what we know will happen, but we cannot prepare for something that we did not know was coming. It is like James stated (in James 4:13-14): “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

Living on the coast for several years, I learned that you must prepare if a storm was coming. You must anchor things down. You must ensure you have done all you can to keep safe.

Life in general is like that. We know that “storms” are coming, so we must be prepared as best we can. We cannot pretend that life will have no problems. We cannot stop living because of our fears. We must roll with the punches.

My friends, please remember that even though we do not know what tomorrow will bring, God knows. Psalm 139 reminds us that he knows you, what you do, and your future. He knows.

Because God knows, we must find out what he desires. We must accept his truth. We must trust him. We must remember (as Ephesians 3:20 states) that he is the one “who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

Also, remember that he not only knows you, he loves you. As his child (if you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior), you can face whatever tomorrow brings. So – let us face tomorrow with anticipation!

You may want to consider the following resource for added insight – click the picture to find out more…