Life Storms

“Sometimes a storm in your life is what will blow you to the place you are longing to be.” - Beth Moore

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Can one truly prepare for the storms of life? Life’s storms often come at us with warning signs, and at other times they can completely sideswipe us.

Many of us have been through storms in our lives that were not great experiences. In those moments, we either chose to sleep through the whole experience, we became numb with uncertainty, or we were conscious of every wind that unnervingly clashed against us with a demand for our immediate attention.

Every year in the Caribbean, the hurricane season starts at the beginning of June and ends on the last day in November. There is constant caution that everyone should be prepared as the season approaches - clearing gutters, securing roofs, stocking up on food items.

Being prepared can determine our outcome, and as we receive warnings, we either choose to heed the warnings and take precautions towards hurricane preparedness, or we can become complacent and hope for an uneventful experience.

But what about the other types of storms that we encounter, the ones that we did not see coming, such as joblessness, the death of a loved one, or ill-health?

I have encountered several storms in my life. I vividly remember working for a company and five years of demonstrating my abilities, consistently increasing profits, preparing myself for a promotion. Someone else whom I considered to be less deserving benefited. You can understand my hurt and disappointment, but I used that experience to improve myself, to become stronger, better over time. I have also learned along the way that storms can sometimes highlight things of which we weren’t aware. There may have been cracks in walls, gaps through door frames and window sills, symptoms we overlooked in our health, our relations, or our life.

According to Beth Moore, unexpected situations that occur in our lives can propel us to a place or position we longed for but didn’t know how to reach. I have found this to be true. We can become settled and complacent in our circumstances unless a new wind blows in our direction. We can stay in a place of unused potential.

Of one thing we can be assured, as long as there is life, there will be storms in whatever form to go through. The important thing, however, is to be resilient. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be examining how to cope, refocus and use the storms as stepping stones to make our lives better rather than bitter.

We at ABE hope that you are ready for a shift to a new dimension. Let us help you get storm ready!