I happened to see the movie “The Day After Tomorrow,” a while back. This movie depicts the effects of the earth’s green house problems. One of the scary parts of the movie is the sudden rise of the ocean heights, which eventually wipes out New York City with its violent storms and tidal waves. The scenes in this part of the movie were particularly harrowing.
Basically, there are two types of storms in the human experience: those we bring upon ourselves and those that come for no apparent reason.
Storms we bring upon ourselves are the result of stupidity, foolishness, and outright sin. Many of life’s storms should not surprise us. They come by invitation. They are built into the fabric of life. God does not need to send them; we bring them on ourselves. Fast drivers invite accidents, smokers invite lung cancer, overeaters invite heart attacks, and sinners invite grave consequences.
Then there are storms, which happen for reasons we cannot explain: cancer comes and ends a thirty two year old mother’s life, children born with birth defects, tornadoes ravage homes and tragically interrupt people’s lives. We ask the question, Why? Why, why, why?
We need to accept that life does not come without these storms. We also need to remember, although, that we are not alone in the storms, and storms can be times for spiritual growth.
Life is not an extended pleasure trip on a luxury liner that is sailing across calm seas. Life is a journey in a storm-buffeted boat. Storms may come because we were foolish or downright sinful. For these, there is no excuse. It is the storms that come in the midst of our best intentions that challenge us.
Shall we choose to shake our fists in the face of God as we turn bitter, or shall we put our hand in the hand of God and walk through the storms together?