How hard could it be to pack for a trip to Iceland? The name alone should offer a clue. Still, once there it was a little more difficult to predict the weather like I can do at home in ENC. We know storms are coming in ENC.
We know to wear layers in the fall because it will warm up by lunchtime. We know not to drive in the rare ice storm because we don’t have the equipment or the experience to do it safely.
Occasionally, the weather catches us all off guard. Consider Helene and the devastating impacts on mountain communities. How do we prepare for something our minds cannot even imagine?
Life will send us many surprises that we are not prepared for at all. No weather report to give a warning. No clouds gathered to give us pause.
Our faith and the wisdom it brings can ground us in those times.
Winds of change will rage, but we can hold tight to Jesus. While the behaviors and words of others can make us feel unsteady at times, we can reach out for the words of Jesus to anchor our souls.
The pouring rain of opinions and cruel words can wash over us in ways that feel like we might never recover…and yet in the whisper of the wind, we hear…” my child…my beloved…you are a child of God.”
Dress for whatever the forecast of life holds with layers of love and faith.
“Then he turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’ – and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’ – and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.” Luke 12:54-59 MSG
Kim Rice Smith
NCCUMC Sound District
Lay Leader