“When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.”
Proverbs 10:25
I can hear it.
The wind, I mean.
It’s starting to pick up already. By the time you are reading this, the snow will be swirling, creating what we euphemistically call ‘winter driving conditions’.
Quote-unquote.
Yeah.
It may get ugly out there.
If the snowfall amounts add up to what the experts are predicting, we may be in for a hum-dinger of a storm.
But here’s the thing.
It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I mean, at this stage of life, I’ve been around the block a time or two. I’ve experienced my share of wicked winter weather – driven in conditions where I had to stop and open my driver’s door and kick with my boot to scrape away the snow in order to ascertain whether I was still on my side of the highway, because I absolutely couldn’t tell any other way.
This storm can bluster all it likes (because it will whether I give it permission or not anyway). It can cause me some transportation issues (everything from blocking my car in the garage to plugging up the driveway to making visibility a problem to wreaking havoc in the parking lot at school). It can make me late for work (been there, done that) or in certain rare cases, keep me from getting to work at all (can you say ‘Snow Day’?).
But experience says it’s all okay.
See, living where I do, it’s not if winter driving conditions may get tricky.
It’s when.
I have snow tires. I have a hubby who is very skilled with a tractor/snowblower combo. I travel with a winter emergency kit this time of year – blanket, a pillar candle, winter gear, a mini collapsible shovel.
I am not without resources. Or experience.
It is that level of preparedness that keeps me grounded. I know my limits and know I can stay home if conditions are plain hazardous. I know to drive slowly and use my brakes gently if slippery conditions exist. I know who to call in if I get stuck or need assistance.
Which brings us to this verse in Proverbs.
Here’s the thing.
Just being alive pretty much guarantees that we will be hit by storms a time or two. It’s really not if, but when. Life is complicated. Tricky stuff shows up like a blustery north wind and blasts us with its icy breath. Life’s storms can blow us off course. Knock us off our feet. Make us feel stuck. Powerless.
Alone.
There is a comparison drawn here between two groups of people. The first group, the wicked, get blown away when the storm comes. They weren’t prepared ahead of time. They didn’t realize they needed an emergency kit in the trunk, so to speak.
And they get banged up.
The second group, the godly, fare much better. They have a foundation, an anchor for the soul, a place to ground themselves when those North winds howl and snarl.
Notice that both groups get slammed hard with the storm. (No, you can’t play the ‘Jesus card’ like a monopoly pass. The storms come for us all.)
But – look at the outcome. The godly (just a fancy way to make those who by faith belong to God!) are not blown off course. They do not end up lost. They may be battered, but they will dig their way out of those snowbanks and be none the worse for wear.
And not because they are in any way superior specimens, or better planners.
They are just better connected to the Master of the Wind; therefore, when the storm has done its worst, they are left standing.
Don’t you want that?
I sure do.
Put your trust in the right place with me?
Father, the storms of life are inevitable. How grateful we are that You are willing to be our foundation when the winds of life come! Keep us steady in the path You chose for us, even when troubles come. Amen.
Growing in Grace 