Bang, Bang

I had an interesting adventure the other day. I was at Wal-mart buying a car battery. (That is a story for another post . . . why I was at Wal-mart at 9pm on a Friday night buying a car battery.) Anyway, all that day the skies were ominous theatening to pour buckets. While I was in the store the storm finally decided to hit our area.

As I walked the isles dreaming about car stereos and iPods I could hear the thunder over head. I finished my shopping experience and brought my purchases to the register. As I headed to the exit I could hear the full brunt of the storm. The parking-lot had about 3 inches of water in it. There was dime sized peices of hail bouncing in thru the automatic doors that were, for some reason, stuck open. The night sky flashed with the thunderous lighting like the grand finale' of the July 4th fireworks display. Not one rumble would finish before another had taken the stage in another part of the sky. The winds howled with all their might bringing in stinging shards of ice and water.

In the entrance/exit way there was a young family waiting for a break in the storm. A mom and dad with 3 girls. The oldest of nine, the middle about 5 and the youngest in daddy's arms was around the age of 2. For some reason I was intriged by there responses to the storm.

During the mayhem on the outside the oldest was showing signs of being "scared". I say "scared" because she had a smile on her face. Everytime there was a clap of thunder or a big gust of wind she would try to bury her face into mom or dad while all the time she was grinning from ear to ear. It was like the storm made her feel scared but her experience was developed enough to calm her fears . . . almost enough for her to enjoy the adventure.

The middle child was crying. She was down right scared. With each cresendo of the storm her tears and howels would follow suit. As the sound sub-sided she would try to regain some composer.

The youngest sister was wide-eyed and in awe. She looked from parents to sisters to the storm and back again. She was trying to figure out, one, what was going on, two, if she should be scared like number 2 sister or be calm like number 1.

Their parents? Like most parents of three. They were mostly annoyed. The storm has slowed them down and they were meaning to have the kids in at a good hour tonight. Then they could not figure out what was more annoying . . . the storm, the hour, or the fact that she remembered that one of the windows were left open back at the house.

I then scanned the other shoppers and I made note of their reaction to the hi-sea adventure. I got to thinking about how we look at storms of life. We have different reactions based on our experiences and what we know to be true. Some of us bury our head in the sand and wait it out. Some of us get annoyed. Some of us rest on our past and try to stay strong . . . and even pretend to find joy in it. Some of us become overwhelmed and wide-eyed and we are not sure how to react. Still some build walls and try to pretend it's not there.

How do you deal with what you have to go/have gone through?

For me . . . I guess it depends on the situation. I guess it depends on our experiences. I have seen peace that passed my understand in my mother who was told the her cancer had given her 8 months to live. I have felt frustration and lack of any peace by a simple little idiot light on the dash of my Escort (again fotter for another post).

I have been told that we are given only what we can handle.

I don't believe it. Jesus was given more than he could handle when he was taken to the cross.

(NOTE: some of you more biblically versed out there might be thinking of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which is often quote in tough time "God will only give you what you can handle." You will find that the verse is referring to temptations and not storms of life.)

Things just happen. Things will happen. We can't change that most of the time. But it is how we handle the storm is what is important. We don't get far asking why. Sometimes that info isn't really helpful anyway. Why do we bother.

Do I have an answer? Yes and no. I can give insite in my experiences only. I can not give insite in to what you are going through. I can give sugguestion and an outsiders perspective. But I do not have the answers. The suggestion . . . Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest. That's all I can do for right now.

For what it's worth. . .