If you have read my previous entries, you can see I have wanted to share all these thoughts on “storms”. This is my last one in this trilogy…
The Storm’s Aftermath…
Now it’s so quiet, the storm has finally passed.
It’s feels so eery, we didn’t know how long it’d last.
Hoping, praying we would be safe from its fierce blast
Wondering what damage the wind and rain would have cast.
We cautiously walk out onto the sandy and cluttered shore,
What will we find there, cast up from the ocean’s floor?
Will there be only trash, or items of treasure and ancient lore?
And will the forecast soon tell us, that more storms are in store?
Our lives sometimes experience the same upheaval storms bring
We cry floods of tears. and all the painful emotions really sting.
We pray, we talk, we try to sleep, and sometimes with others we sing;
Knowing through it all, God is Sovereign and always, our Jesus is King!
How He will “use all things for good”, we still do not know
But, we cling to our faith, and tearfully our love to Him show.
He warned that we will struggle with life that can bring us low;
But, one day all pain will be gone, and we will see His eternal glow!
In my previous 2 entries, I wrote about the storms in our lives, and the promise we have in the Lord, that the “sun” does appear after the literal storms, and implying that as the Son of God, Jesus, brings clarity from the upheavals we face. The ‘aftermath’ is a process. After any major illness, injury, or emotional tragedy, there is the time of rehabilitation and/or restoration. How we handle and come to a good resolution of the conflicts and potential ‘chaos’, is dependent upon the decisions we make in many little (and often big) ways. It has been helpful to me to identify the healthy, life bringing choices, vs. the choices that can have the reverse effect (although these may be initially harder to do, and easier to “choose”), ultimately they do not bring the right results to our lives.
See another entry “Journey of Grief” (December 7, 2023).
Although some things may resolve quickly, in no way do I intend to imply that our struggles are always easily resolved. Yes, Jesus CAN and DOES bring us peace when we seek that from Him (John 14:27) He brings wisdom when we seek that. (James 1:5) But, equally true is that we may have a period of time (seasons in our lives) in the aftermath of that ‘storm’ for the ‘clean-up’, or restoration, or even emotional or relational rehabilitation. I have been trained as an Occupational Therapist (OT), as well as a degree in Public Health. There are many different areas, and scopes of practice in which an OT can work. But, in most cases, the condition/injury (or whatever needs the rehabilitation) takes time. When I worked with children with special needs, in the school system that, it was often a situation of learning ways to compensate for the physical or mental disability, teaching the child and parents ways to best enable that child to have the necessary educational or life skills they would need. When I worked with adults in a Home Health context, the goals would be different based on their needs; but still seeking to enable them to most adequately function with basic life tasks.
Depending on the severity of the ‘storm’ in our lives, the solution for the problem can initially can be “confusing” at best, and “chaotic” in the worst case scenario. Until a reasonable, sustainable solution is in place to create a “new normal” we may feel some degree of stress of the uncertainty, the unknown, and the uncomfortable. Simple stress can become significant distress! Go to the One who can ‘still the storm’!
Dear Lord, You warned that there will be troubles, “storms” in our lives, but also promised that You are with us, and “have overcome the world”. You have the sovereignty, and authority to ‘still the storms’ as You did when You were with your disciples here on earth. You still can ‘still the storms’ in our hearts and lives as we seek You! Thank you for Your faithful and forever love for us! In Your precious name, we pray. Amen.
