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| Tree in my front yard. |
Driving around today, everywhere I went were broken branches and fallen trees in yards and streets, leaves and debris scattered all around, clogging up sewer drains. There were water streams flowing deep in places where cars normally went, while newly created lakes gave ducks a place to swim, between the slides and the swings. The Fox River was just a foot below the Illinois Street bridge in St. Charles, speeding over the dam and through the man-made corridor created for much quieter days. The storm had gone through and things had changed. Seemingly kingly trees were broken in half, exposing a rotting core that couldn't take it anymore. The wind had blown and the rain came down. And there was nothing anybody could do about it.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
|{Disruption}|. Storms disrupt the normal flow of things. There were major highways in Chicago today flooded over in low areas. There were many less busy roads blocked as well. People had to find alternate routes to get to work or to got the grocery store. Power was knocked out in whole neighborhoods. Houses from the south side of Chicago to the million dollar mansions in the burbs had air-conditioning stopped and 50" flat panel televisions blackened. The storm didn't really care what plans people had today. They would have to adjust.
|{It's a Love/Hate Thing}| Interesting things these storms are. They come is all forms. Here in Illinois we've seen plenty of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes roll through, especially this year. And this is saying nothing of the fun we have in the winter! Most of us would love for everyday to be sunny and 78 degrees, low humidity, with a light breeze for just the right touch. But we know storms come, and they must. Storms blow the dead branches off. Storms bring destruction. Storms scatter the seeds. Storms start fires. Storms bring nourishment to the soil. Dormant seeds germinate. And this is more than just in nature.
|{I need the wind to blow through me, and all around me.}| I need the dead branches in me destroyed and blown away. Cobwebs in hidden parts of my heart and mind need to be gone. Fear, shame, pride, lust, and self-absorption need to flow down the river, far, far away. I need my routine, my rut, my 'normal' existence to be shaken and disrupted. I would say the most important things we learn about life, ourselves, and God are not found in a place of comfort. It's found in the disrupted times, the unplanned chaos that life brings. Those things we don't understand. Why did that person I love and cherish have to suffer like that? What the heck is going on in my head? Am I the only one who feels like this? And on and on.
|{My Storm will Call Your Storm and We'll Do Lunch}| I, and many people I love, are going through, or have already seen storms. Someday I'll get enough courage to write about some of the totally unplanned craziness and messiness of my life. Being a fairly introverted person, much of it has been internal for me. But even internal storms have a way of revealing themselves in not so pretty ways. Everybody deals with dark times and feelings. Some of us are better at finding ways to cover up the ugly side of ourselves. We keep our minds busy pondering useless things, devoting hours a week following celebrity gossip, sports, internet, talk radio, and the like. (With the exception of gossip, none of these things are bad in themselves, and this list is far from complete.) We focus on the external. How do I look? Am I sexy? Am I good-looking? Do I wear the right clothes and drive the right car? What do people think of me? Facebook lets us define our image in a myriad of ways in this regard.
|{Uh, the Point Please?}| I guess the point I'm getting at is eventually a storm is going to come that will rock your world. (For some it may be the last seconds of their life.) But although it may bring some craziness and chaos to your life, it also has the potential to do good. To bring life. And to expose what your foundation is. I had my storm. It sent me reeling. It destroyed a big part of who I thought I was. It drove me, literally, to the edge of insanity. I had been comfortable; A storm came I couldn't handle. I thought I could handle anything. I thought I was cruising through life okay. I was proven wrong in a spectacular way! I was shown where my faith had been. I tried to handle it myself. However, we were not made to handle storms alone. (More on that another day.)
|{This Could Get Messy}| Three years later, even after all that has happened, I still am learning to let go of some dead things. However, I see light piercing through the clouds. Hope is breaking through clouds of depression, darkness, and shame. My heart needs a resurrection once again. I don't want to have a closet of bones and masks. I want my mind completely renewed. I want to not spend my life worrying about what others think, but what my Creator thinks. I want to be able to trust others enough to share honestly who I am and what I'm going though. I want to be that same person for them too. I want to love you and anyone I meet, and to receive love, love that is pure and comes from the One who made me. I want the Wind to blow through me. Everyday. Right now. How about you? Isn't life meant for more than what we typically settle for? Let's expose the rotten, dead parts, and get on with living. That's my goal. Who's with me?
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