A Strom is Coming

Last night we had a "particularly dangerous weather situation". That is what the meteorologist called it. I call it "storms".

The city was prepared for the worse. Wichita State University and other colleges is the area closed. Events around the city canceled. For ourselves, we were suppose to have a barbecue for our community group and had to make the decision to cancel.

We waited to cancel, watching the radar. Finally, we made the calls. But, I could not get a hold of everyone. I have a tendency to misplace items and I had misplaced my phone book,... again. One, person, showed up. She brought strawberry short cake. So, I love her.

She was invited for dinner, so I made dinner, after the storm came through. The tornado sirens go off. The city, already on alert, became tense with the sound. The news station, that we were watching, made their employees go to the basement. My son, his wife, two dogs and two cats show up. They have no basement. The animals went down to my basement, but of course the humans stay upstairs to watch the chaos.

The silent prayers go up. We sit in front of the t.v. and see the pictures of the horizon as the clouds lower over an area that has had two F5 tornadoes already destroy it in the past. Someone in the room says "Poor people". More prayers.

The rain is so intense it looks foggy outside. The wind blows strong, 60 mph. The trees are bending over and snapping back up. The cats in the basement howl with displeasure. More prayers go up.

Then it stops. It just stops. It came and went so quickly. A nonevent. I make dinner, my son, his wife, two cats and two dogs pack up and leave. My husbands prayer over dinner, included protection. But, before we can get to that delicious dessert, the lights go out. Then they come on, then out, then on and finally out.

We and our guest were now in the dark. I had just put the lanterns away from the last storm outage. I get the lantern again, lite them and we begin to converse. We talk about anything and everything. Sirens cut through the air as the police and fire departments went to the aide of the citizens. We were, however, safe. Prayers answered.

Knowing there was strawberry shortcake to be had, I announced the lantern was coming with me to the kitchen to eat dessert. I pick up one of the lantern and the top flies off and shatters on the floor. Of course I was not in my tornado attire and was bare foot and in the dark. Now, I'm froze in time. Husband to the rescue. Of course, he is not in his tornado attire either, but he braves the class and rescues me while the others bring more lanterns and candles. Free from my mess, our guest and I get to work and eat strawberry shortcake.

After eating, we all end up on the front porch. People tend to go outside when the power goes off. Maybe to cool off, but more than likely to see if they are the only one without power. The neighborhood was abuzz with activity.

Our guest and myself talked about God and our peace of mind that He is in control. We sat there in the safety of our Lord as ambulances and police cars drove past. The air was now quiet and still. The temperature had dropped 30 degrees and a since of relief was settling into our spirits.

No tornado had touched the city. Damage was minimal and our lights came back on. Things were coming back to normal.

Our guest left and I thought back on the night. At one point in the night, while sitting on the porch, I realized that I had no idea what was happening in the world. That anything could occur and I was vulnerable to it. As I was thinking on this, God shared with me that I need to get use to this feeling. That it will not be the last time I feel isolated and vulnerable to the world.

But, I am safe in the arms of my Lord. There is a storm coming. With the days now short, our lives will be changing. We need to find strength in our Lord. This nonevent in my life, was just a taste of things to come. But, in it all, I found support from God, friends, children and my husband. We band together and find the peace that comes from relationships with each other and God. There will be peace in this time to come. This time of turmoil that lies ahead. It is the peace that goes beyond all understanding. It is the peace of God.