Sometimes a child instinctively knows the right words to say to make you feel good. But I’m always shocked at the wisdom and spiritual insight they may exhibit, even if they aren’t aware of it.
As I looked at the photo that my son sent me on Sunday, my heart sank. High winds had blown their large oak tree over, and it rested on both of their cars. Their roof and fence were also damaged.
As our son, Adam arranged for the cleanup—tree removal, tow truck, and car rental—Dan and I played “Go Fish” with our grandchildren, Zach and Jill.
“I’m glad the tree fell down in our front yard.” Zach explained, “Because you and Pop came over and played cards with us.”
I laughed, responding, “Well, we can come over anytime and play cards. We don’t have to wait for another tornado!”
Zach’s sister, Jill, responded, “Well, I don’t like it! My tire swing was in that tree.”
“Sorry about your swing, Jill. Maybe your dad can salvage it and move it to the back yard.”
When Adam walked into the room, I told him what Zach and Jill had said.
Blessing. We both laughed, and Adam said, “Well, I guess that’s a positive way to look at it.” Then, he made a joke about have a lot of firewood now.
I kept thinking about how odd it is that we all have different ways of looking at a crisis. Some go into their problem-solving mode, like Adam and Dan. Others focus on what they’ve lost, like Jill. And a few look for the blessing after the storm has passed.
I have to admit, although the storm caused damage and even deaths in other states, I’m grateful that we can expect positive results following every storm we encounter.
Promise. I’m most grateful for God’s promise to always be with us—before, during, and after every storm. In fact, Jesus promised, “I’ll be with you . . . day after day after day, right up to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20 The Message).
What blessings have you discovered after a storm?
Any time we escape with our lives, we’re content and we’ve taught the children to be so, also. However, when we moved back to AR from MS, who would have known our moving day would be the week after hurricane Katrina hit in MS. Our house was undamaged, we were able to call our movers and our parents during brief moments when phone service was up, we owned a wet vac, which was excellent help with the rain that blew in through the doors, and there was gasoline for us and for our movers, enough to get the job done. Whew!
And then, once we arrived in AR, since we had MS license plates, everyone thought we were refugees. Ha! A lot of kindness was shown to us. I’ll never forget all the kindness in both states, as everyone helped the homeless who streamed north in huge hordes. It was a blessing to see.
Wow! Sounds like you’ve had your share of storms, too. I bet that was a hard move. The year we moved to Arkansas from Texas, a big storm hit the day before we moved. Your story reminded me of that experience. Hmmm … maybe I’ll write about that some day. Thanks so much for your comment! Blessings!