Storms

*This post is a little different than my normal posts.  But for some reason, I just really needed to write it.  {smile} 

We live in Louisiana.  If you’ve heard the news this past week, you have probably heard about Hurricane Isaac that had its sights set on our state.  Our family lives in the Northwest corner of Louisiana and was anticipating some winds and rain.  However, the hurricane had other plans and took different path.  We only had a little rain and light winds.  Many others were not so fortunate and will be working to put their lives back together. {Please pray for these who were devastated by the storm.}

But this post isn’t actually about Hurricane Isaac.  It is about the storms of life.

This past week as our state braced for a Hurricane to slam into it, our family was (and is) facing many storms.  To be perfectly honest with you, I have cried every day this past week.  It was that kind of week.  I’m not writing this post to have a pity party.  (I’ve all ready had many of those this past week.)  And I’m definitely not writing to say that I’ve got it all together and know how to weather these storms of life completely unscathed. 

What I am writing to say is that there is hope.  Through the pain, tears, uncertainties, disappointments…through the tangled webs of life…there is hope.  His name is Jesus.

I remember when my little brother died an unexpected death at the age of 26, I felt a pain unlike any other I have ever felt before.  But through the pain, I felt a peace…a calmness.  I know that it was because of my hope in Jesus. 

This week as our family made decisions, faced changes, and tackled tough situations…there were many times when we felt pain, uncertainty, heartache, and disappointment.  Those things are never easy, are they? 

But in the midst of it all, I have hope. 

Sometimes, it gets hard to see that hope.  But it’s not because hope has left me.  It is because I’ve taken my eyes off of Hope. 

I was reminded this week that I must keep my eyes on Jesus Christ, my Savior.  Life is stormy.  It is sticky.  It is messy.  I am not promised a life free of problems.  Sometimes I have to ride out the storms of life to see the beauty that I know is there also.  If I take my eyes off of Jesus and look at the waves crashing around me, I get very overwhelmed and very scared.  I just want to run away!  So I must keep my eyes on Him.  If I focus on Him, the waves may crash and knock me down but He is there to lift me up. 

Jesus loves me.  Jesus loves you.  He is my hope when all else seems lost.  I want you to know that Hope too. 

If you want to know more, please feel free to email me.  I would love to tell you about Jesus and the hope He has to offer you.  Email me at:   simply adriane @ gmail. com  (just take out the spaces) 

Thank you for reading my thoughts today.  I truly appreciate your visits here to my little space on the web. 

God Bless You,

Adriane

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:7

To view the verse in context, please visit this link.