When Life’s Storms Roar In: Hold On, Blue Skies Will Return

Thunderstorms don’t ask permission. Neither do life’s challenges. But storms pass—and strength grows when you choose to endure.

The power company sent out an email earlier in the afternoon warning of potential scattered thunderstorms and the possibility for the loss of power. They send the emails anytime there’s a threat of thunderstorms. It south Texas. We hardly ever get rain in August. Why would this afternoon be any different? The storms would stay to the east and hug the coast or they would stay to the West hang around in the hill country. But come over San Antonio, in August, in late afternoon when the river walk would be crowded, no chance. So much for my ability to see into the future beyond the next one second. Around 4 o’clock the sky turned from bright blue to gray. It quickly grew darker. I could hear thunder in the distance. I checked my weather app and the radar. The radar indicated a small thunderstorm to the east and passing south of where I live. I’m thinking I could plan for after dinner walk a little later in the evening. So much for my planning. The wind kicked up about 530 and it roared in like an out of control freight train. The rain joined with the wind and brought along its friends, thunder and lightning. It was tropical rain, big heavy drops. It came down in sheets. The street in front of my house seemed like a river of water rushing down toward the culverts. I was tempted to run outside and take a video fully closed in the rain. The only thing that stopped me was the thunder and lightning. 30 minutes later the storm stopped and left 2 inches of rain and a few small branches down. The blue sky returned.

South Texas storms arrive fast and furious, just like the unexpected challenges in our lives. One moment the skies are clear, and the next, thunder shakes the ground. My afternoon plans washed away under sheets of rain, reminding me how little control we have. Yet, just as suddenly, the storm was gone, and blue skies reclaimed the horizon. Life is like that. Trouble strikes, loud and heavy, but it never stays forever. When we hold on through the chaos, peace eventually returns. The key is patience, faith, and courage to ride out the storm.

Points to Ponder:

• What personal storms have swept into your life unexpectedly?
• How did you find strength to endure when everything felt overwhelming?
• When the storm passed, what “blue skies” surprised you with their beauty?