After A Storm

Yesterday (Friday), guess what I got to do?! Yep, SUBSTITUTE TEACH!!! This time it was 4th grade, another class I'm familiar with. To add to the excitement of our day, it began with a forecast of severe thunderstorms. As we were doing our morning opening exercises (pledges, Bible reading, etc), the lights in our building went out! The 4th graders are in the only classroom in the building that has no windows (it is a former conference room). So, of course, momentary panic ensued!

Everyone calmed down, and we moved into the cafeteria where we could actually proceed with our work for the day under the glow of the emergency lights - but after a while, we were told that there were TORNADO WARNINGS for our area (not unusual this time of year). Thankfully the lights had come back on as we gathered all the classes to sit in the hallway of the main building (a cement enforced area with no windows). We heard the tornado sirens going off on Ft. Leonard Wood, the Army post near by. Mostly, it was an atmosphere of excitement as kids from K-4 through 6th grade got to be out of class & sit by their friends (the other classes were safely elsewhere in secure rooms and hallways)!

A few children were afraid at first, but they quickly got caught up with whispering quietly with each other. One little boy in 1st grade had a Bible in his lap and was reading it - I thought that was absolutely precious!! I love that my children are in a Christian school, and I'm so thankful to be able to see a small part of their day-to-day life there.

After about 30 minutes (seemed way longer to us), the all-clear was given - and we returned to our normal schedule. However, as the day went on, we heard reports on the radio and Internet of the damage the storms had caused that morning. Not so much in our area, but to our southwest, the interstate had been shut down because a semi-tracker-trailer was blown over by the high wind. A tornado was spotted to the area to the direct South of us as well (on the other side of Ft. Wood, for those who know the area). Trees were down, and electric poles too. We weren't without electricity but for an hour at school, thankfully.

At our house, there is debris all over the deck - but otherwise, you would never know we had such a severe storm here.

I know it is cliche', but I couldn't help but think about the storms of life. They come in varying strengths and at unexpected times. Sometimes we can predict where they will go; other times, the storms seem to have no set pattern. The fact of the matter is, we can't control them any more than we can control the wind and rain. GOD controls them all without our help or input.

Afterward, often we can look back and see where the Hand of God has moved. Sometimes, we are left with damage and devastation - but most often, we come through unscathed with a story to share about how we got through. Sometimes, we are just observers of the storm, watching the clouds roll in, anticipating the rain to come, and then praying for God's protection. Storms often lead to praying! They often bring us to a stand still, where we seek the One who is in control and ask for mercy.

And many times, after the storm, the sunshine seems brighter; the trees, greener; and God, more powerful!