Nature - Teacher of Patience

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Jeremiah 10:12-13

"It takes a real storm in the average person's life to make him realize how much worrying he has done over the squalls." ― Bruce Barton

I remember my mom saying one day " All you have to do in life is live and die". This was when she was first diagnosed with cancer. This statement, coming from a woman; who would try to move mountains to "get things done", was shocking to hear . This statement has stuck with me for many years. I believe my mother, who was fiercely independent, was saying - "there is only so much control that we (humans) have in life".

Father God or "Mother Nature" has a way of teaching us "what's important". Its not how many hours of work you put in, what you have to show for your hard work, the circle of friends that you run in, etc. Have you noticed that huge storms "level the playing field for everyone"?. That, oftentimes, serves as a impetus for us to "come together" - to help our neighbor, to move beyond our "self" and come together as a group to help?

I believe that God has a purpose for storms - in nature and in our emotional life. He shows us how powerful He is. Storms allow us to "step back" and learn signficant things. Storms force us to be dependent on Him for deliverance and blessing.

Father God - Remind us today that we grow from the emotional and natural storms of life. Help us to think beyond ourselves when storms come our way. Thank you so much for being the Ultimate Force in nature and that there is a purpose in everything You do.