The Light in the Storm

Living in rural Illinois, for over 40 years, I have experienced all sorts of inclement weather. We seem to get hit with severe heat waves, droughts, floods, ice storms and blizzards. Last Sunday was one of those meteorological events that will make it into the record books.  A major winter storm had been predicted for about a week, and worried residents, like swarms of hungry locusts, hit the grocery stores with full force.  For a while it seemed that we had dodged the bullet since the snow had not started falling on schedule.  With a sigh of relief, thousands of people settled down for the night.  Around 4am snow began falling, and falling and falling!!  It kept coming down, as the winds picked up speed, 40 mph, and the temperatures dropped to -13 degrees.  Our power flickered, sending my husband and me, at the height of the storm, out to the barn for emergency fire wood.  Visibility had been 0 all day, and night fall made the usually short walk, a treacherous trek.  Cutting to the chase, we were fine.  The electricity stayed on, DISH worked, we had plenty of food, and I hate to admit, but it was kind of fun looking out on the wild scene from my safe haven.

At my weekly Bible study group, on the following Saturday, we all shared our personal storm experiences.  While most of us had similar tales to mine, one friend told us this harrowing account. At 11 am on Sunday, when the storm was raging violently, her electricity went off, and stayed off.  Fortunately, they were prepared with a gas-powered generator that allowed them to produce limited electricity.  While the house was cool, they would not succumb to the relentless, icy marauder pounding at the door. As they drew heavy comforters around them, their son called.  His power was out as well, and without a generator, his two small children were at risk.  He wondered if his Dad could make the 1/2 mile trip, with his heavy truck, to pick up the kids.  If you are a parent/grandparent you know what he did.  Bundling up, he reassured his wife that he would be safe, and would return soon. As he headed down the country road, in what he thought was the correct direction, his wife and daughter, watching from the window, saw him turn off course!  Calling his cell phone, they realized he wouldn't answer because he had to keep both hands on the steering wheel.  Within a few more minutes he returned their call. He had been so turned around, in the zero-visibility, that he had driven into a snow-filled ditch.  Only a 1/4 mile from home, he confidently told them that he'd walk and be with them shortly. Once again, keeping vigil at the window, they gasped in horror as he blindly veered off the road, away from home.  Frantic, his wife called and told him that the path he was following was leading him dangerously away from safety.  Even though he was now aware of his dire situation, there were no landmarks or familiar signs to help him find his way, he was hopelessly lost in the violent storm.  Trying not to give in to the panic that was oh so near, my friend dug out a huge lantern that her husband used during deer hunting season.  Oblivious to the elements, she swung the massive beacon praying that its beam would pierce through the darkness and guide him home. Praise God, he did see it, and was soon welcomed inside by his relieved family.  Later, over a cup of coffee, she asked him if he had been afraid, he said, "I couldn't afford to be, but I was on the verge, until I saw the light."

Jesus  informs us that storms will come into our lives, the question is not will we be prepared, but will we be drawn to His light. This man had prepared himself for the blizzard, but it wasn't enough. The fact is, spiritually, we can't make it though the storms prepared with only our human equipment, we'll always wind up in the ditch, or worse.  God's light shines perpetually.We don't notice it on the bright, calm, pleasant days, but when we are on the brink of disaster, when we are absolutely turned in the wrong direction,  it is the only way to find our way home.

Do you find yourself  in a dark place, take heart, look through the swirling winds, look for and follow the only light that will lead you home. "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."  John 12:46.