When I was in middle school, we had a terrible windstorm. I remember the day clearly… the sound of the wind beating against the walls of the building, students lined up in the hallway because it was the safest place to be, whispering voices trying to figure out what was going on.
Then the sounds got louder.
We found out later that the wind shattered a few classroom windows. And it tore part of the roof right off the top of our middle school.
I could only think of one thing as we huddled in the hallway, waiting for the storm to end.
Carrot. My rabbit.
My best friend gave me her rabbit to take care of when she and her family moved across the country. She trusted me to give Carrot a safe place to live. I was in charge.
Now, Carrot was in her pen right outside the barn. Alone in a storm.
And I was in the hallway at school without any way to save her. Guilt and worry sat like bricks in the pit of my stomach. I felt sick with worry, stuck on something completely beyond my control.
Finally, the storm ended, and the school day ended, and I could go home. Without pause, I ran to the barn to check on Carrot.
Her pen was dry. Her roof was intact. She twitched her nose and seemed to smile at me, in a way that only rabbits can. I thanked God that she was okay.
When we are caught in the storms of life, what fills our thoughts? Where do we turn?
It’s so easy to turn to anxiety, or to worry about the future, or to try to control the different things in our life. It’s so easy to become blinded by the fear and focus on something beyond our own strength or ability–like I focused on Carrot during that windstorm.
But what if, instead, we focused on God?
I love the words of Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (ESV).
Psalm 91:4 also talks about God as our safe place: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (NIV).
If we learn to turn to God as our strong tower, our refuge and safe place, the storms will start to feel different.
They will still be storms. They will still be hard.
But we will not be alone. We will have a new place to center our thoughts. And we will know that we are loved by the One who is our refuge in times of trouble.
And never forget… you are onederfully created by Him.
Love,
Becca
