Month: August 2016

On a recent tubing trip with my family, we were delayed on a bus, by a thunderstorm. For over an hour, the storm raged and then let up. We were told to get off the bus and then right back on, two different times. There were people who demanded to be taken back to their cars and the driver obliged.

We waited patiently.

At last, the rain stopped. The sun came out and we got the all clear.

I got my tube and dashed to the water as quickly as I could, hoping for some space between me and some of the loud occupants of the bus. I floated for a few minutes, so grateful that we had waited out the storm.

We had followed the rules. We had been patient and the cool, refreshing water was our reward. Yes, we had passed whatever test that had been placed before us and we were in for smooth sailing. All of the tubers around me were laughing and enjoying themselves.

Life seemed just about perfect for a time.

When I had floated for fifteen minutes or so, a booming thunder-clap pierced the air. Now, everybody knows that you get out of the water, the minute you hear thunder. My mama always made us get out of the pool immediately when we heard thunder and just a week before, my sister and I had made our own kids do the same.

The problem was, I was in the middle of a river on a tube. Where was I going to go? Under a tree? There were no good options, so I prayed.

I prayed that God would keep me and my family safe as we were in the worst possible place to be during a thunderstorm. We had followed all of the rules. We had waited patiently. Why were we being subjected to danger?

Life sometimes turns out that way. We sometimes find ourselves in danger of some sort that we did nothing to cause.

But, as I said my prayer, I was filled with peace. I mean seriously, if God was ready to call me home, there wasn’t much I could do about it. I had in fact, followed the rules. I hadn’t acted foolishly. Was there anything that could possibly be gained by my worry?

The answer of course, was “no.” My life is always in God’s hands; being on a river on a tube, with thunder, just happened to make that fact incredibly clear at that moment.

The Bible often tells us not to worry or to be afraid. “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

The rest of my float was uneventful and quiet. There was no more thunder and the sun continued to shine.

I thought about that thunder in the days that followed. I thought about how I was initially struck with fear and how prayer had filled me with peace. I thought about how my life truly is in God’s hands and that His plan for me is always good.

The same is true for you. A loud clap of thunder reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

My family and I went tubing recently in Helen, Georgia. There’s a stretch of the Chattahoochee River that runs through that little town that is a tuber’s paradise. It’s kind of like a lazy river that God made.

We have been many times through the years. When our kids were little, my hubby would tether one to his tube and I would tether one to mine. This was an impromptu trip and we were all excited. There aren’t many outdoor activities to comfortably do in Georgia in July and tubing is one.

When we arrived, the line was unbelievably long, but we waited patiently. We knew it would be worth it. When we loaded the bus to be transported to the drop off, it began to rain which was no biggie, but then it began to thunder.

Thunder and water don’t mix. Surely the storm would pass quickly.

We waited on the bus for an hour, some of us more patiently than others. Twice we were told to get off, that the storm had passed and twice, it began thundering again and we had to get back on the bus.

There was lots of complaining. The bus was hot and very crowded and kind of smelly, but it gave us shelter and safety. There were people who had exited the river and were standing underneath trees with there tubes. Trees are not a good place to be under, during a thunderstorm.

I was thankful for our hot, crowded bus.

There were some teens on-board who insisted on getting off. They were unwilling to wait out the storm.

But, the storm did eventually pass, as they always do and we were allowed to exit the bus and enter the river.

I thought about that hot, crowded bus as I floated down the cool, refreshing river. I thought about how I would have liked to have been anywhere else at the time, but I also thought about the safety that it provided.

I was reminded of times in my life where I felt like I was confined in a certain place or space when all I wanted to do was to move forward. I thought about how I would spend hours in prayer, pleading with God to move me out of an uncomfortable situation and into something more refreshing and rewarding.

If I’m honest, I have to admit that there have been times that I was like the group of teens who got off the bus before the storm had passed and I insisted on my own way and timing, instead of waiting on God’s. That never turned out very well.

Years of walking with Jesus have taught me that God’s timing is very different that my own. There are times when I’m called to wait in an uncomfortable, cramped, hot space, like that bus. But, like that bus, God has me in that space for a reason, sometimes for my safety. Sometimes there may be storm going on with dangers that I am unaware of, but He knows.

That’s where faith comes in.

I have also learned that when I wait on God to open the door, instead of forcing it open my own way, the ride and the wait are always worth it.

A thunderstorm and a bus reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂