This Too Shall Pass: On Life's Storms and Giving

As I sit here on my comfortable bed inside my cosy home, Cyclone Debbie has caused massive destruction to Far North Queensland.

Currently on the Sunshine Coast, we are experiencing her as a downgraded storm system and it is enough to have caused schools to close and local flooding. Naturally, this has got me thinking about storms and the way that it can feel like it will never end when you are in the midst of one.

And yet it does. The storm will eventually pass, the rain will stop and the sun will shine once more.

Storms of life

Nature always speaks to me, and as I ponder over 'Debbie', it is a good reminder that no matter what current life storm we may be going through, we can gain comfort that 'this too shall pass'. The current hardships are hopefully refining us into better people and we can live in hope that the sun will again shine.

Although in the Bible the actual words, 'this too shall pass' can't be found, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 17-18 is quite close:

For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

What an encouraging scripture to hold onto when in the midst of a storm, and a good reminder of where we should fix our thoughts. It can be tempting to only focus on our troubles, but God whispers, "look to me, rest in me, and take shelter under my wings".

God loves You

At different times of my life, when going through one of life's storms, I have fallen into the trap of thinking that God was punishing me. Now, a little older and hopefully more mature in my walk with Him, I know this is not the case.

God loves us so very much. He wants us to come to him, tell him our problems, pour our hearts out to him and let him carry our burdens. Sometimes I forget to do this.

For example, this week my toddler has had the 'hand, foot and mouth' virus. While this isn't overly serious and he has had it before, it is still enough to cause discomfort, sleepless nights, and outbursts of anger and frustration (and that's just my symptoms! Ha!).

There have been some long and difficult days, and I have lost my cool demeanour a couple of times. But I have known all along that this too shall pass and we will all get through this. The times when I focused on our troubles, it has been much worse. The times when I focused on God and prayed for his strength and healing, the days and nights have been a lot calmer.

Give it to God

Whatever you may be going through in your life, I encourage you to 'give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you' (1 Peter chapter 5, verse 7).

Nobody cares or loves you more than our Heavenly Father does, even if we can't always feel this. The storm will eventually pass, the sun will shine and who knows – you may even get to see a glorious rainbow.

Jo Fuller is a primary school teacher with degrees in journalism and education. She currently lives on the Sunshine Coast with her husband and young son.

Jo Fuller's archive of articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/jo-fuller.html

This article is courtesy of Press Service International and originally appeared on Christian Today Australia.