How Do You Prepare For A Storm?

This winter has been a record breaking cold season for the New York area. A "snow bomb cyclone" just hit the eastern coast of the United States yesterday. Its' name was Winter Storm Grayson. Schools and many businesses were closed as it unfolded. How do you prepare for a storm? When I know a storm is coming, I do a variety of things. I fill up the car with gasoline. I stock up on food, water, and make sure that any outside displays are safely stored away. My husband just re-insulated some pipes in order to keep them from freezing and he made sure that we were stocked up with ice melt. Most importantly, I try to remember to pray before, during and after a storm.

How do you prepare for a storm? If you are like me, you sometimes struggle with the concept of how to best prepare for the storms of this life. When one experiences a health storm, a financial storm or even a family "snow bomb cyclone," what is the best way to handle it? There are times when I worry incessantly, or I get depressed. Other times, I rack my brains trying to figure out what I can do to manage things best. Whenever I feel like that I try and remember that Jesus said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me- John 6:38. This verse reminds me to keep God's Will central in my life and actions, as Jesus did, no matter what. This way, even through the trials we experience, we can honor God. I am reminded of a mighty woman of God who played the piano and served in a summer ministry for children in Ocean Grove, New Jersey every summer. The children would arrive for their morning study and she would always emphatically say,"this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad." She did this with utter joy even as she was dying of scleroderma.

Furthermore, the peace that we are looking for in a crisis will never come from how well we manage things but from how close we stay to God. Although, it is important to act with wisdom in any crisis, that does not mean that we should leave God out of the equation. That is only going to make things worst. So remember when the storms of life hit, the first thing you need to do is pray and ask God to direct you in the situation. Another verse to keep in mind is from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verse 5. It says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.