Life is a hurricane, and God is the shelter.

Hurricanes are violent, filled with chaos, harm, destruction, and feelings of lonesomeness, worry and doubt of whether we can keep holding strong through the middle of the hurricane. Hurricanes leave scares behind, destroying homes, taking lives both of man & animals, and leaving a mark that will fade over time, but will never disappear.

But that’s where GOD comes in.

You see, I imagine God as this shelter. That NO MATTER the elements that come and impact our lives, as long as we trust in Him, we have a relationship with Him, and believe He is Lord, we can withstand our “hurricane lives.”

There will still be hurricanes, whether small or massive, that will wreck our lives, but God is there to help us pick our lives up again, to recover, to see how we are changed for the better in Him.

I’ve been in a hurricane lately. It was a medium sized one. Where I was struggling in school, yet too prideful to admit it, finding out my credits between schools won’t transfer causing me to be delayed in graduating, more health issues, in a season of relationships dear to my heart ending, and ending horse back riding (another blog on that ;)).

Learning to give all my worries to God has been so relieving, but I can’t say it’s been easy. More times than I’d like to admit.. God has brought me to my knees in His presence publicly. Crying out to Him in desperation and anger in the past month. Driving home from church, after babysitting, after a shower, after grocery shopping.. God randomly puts a strong conviction over my heart and I collapse in a puddle of tears.

I started realizing how I have had the intentions to pursue a relationship with Him, yet I do not pursue Him with my actions. Towards friends, spending time in the Word, or showing love to others. I want to wholeheartedly pursue Him, but in times of overwhelming setbacks I pull away, telling Him I love Him, yet not wanting to hear Him through the trials. Somehow afraid that what He has to tell me, will hurt me, rather than picking me up into His arms, as He places me back on path He intended for me to live.

I have been trying to comfort myself, rather than letting my Father hold his sin-filled, stubborn, hard-headed, independent, soft-hearted daughter.

But I have learned VERY quickly that I need to rather go into the Word and be comforted by my Heavenly Father. God has been showing me more and more how I cannot keep going down the path of independence in Him, and if I do, it will be a very lonesome lifestyle. That I need to change my ways and listen to Him. That changing a few small things in my daily routine can help me be at peace in the hurricane, through being in the presence of God. Because life is full of all different sizes of hurricanes, but no matter the storm, to turn to Him as a stronghold and shelter.