Facing the Storms of Life

            I once saw a saying that really spoke to me, “Be like Jesus, rebuke the storm, and if it persists, walk on it.” How many times have storms taken control of our lives? How many times have we forgotten that the Master of all storms is on our side? We forsake the God of the storm for the fear that something might happen to us during that storm.

            A special person in my life loves dancing in thunderstorms. One thing you must realize about me is that I tend to be a lot older than I actually am, so this concept of dancing in the rain is foreign to me. Storms are something that inspire fear, the fierce force of nature often seems to be a paradox of dancing. I am reminded of the hymn that was written in the 1960’s, “I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black it's hard to dance with the devil on your back. They buried my body & they thought I'd gone but I am the Dance & I still go on!”

         Friends living this life is an art, my dog Rusty is terrified of thunderstorms. One of things I have to do for him is cradle him when the thunder comes. There are people in your life that you will need when the thunder comes. People that will cradle you, people that will tell you that the storm will pass. People of faith cherish those special individuals for they are the very light of life present for us. Small incarnate gifts of grace.

            Dancing in the rain, the next time a storm comes I might try that. Life is all about learning that Jesus walked above the toiling sea. Life is all about knowing that Jesus Christ became human so that we might experience the reality of love in this life, even amidst the storm.

            The last stanza of that hymn I mentioned earlier goes like this, “They cut me down and I leapt up high I am the Life that'll never, never die! I'll live in you if you'll live in me. I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!” Friends dance wherever you are in life. Dance in the midst of death, dance in the midst of sickness and health. Dance in the midst of toil and trouble, dance in the midst of joy and triumph. To go back to the hymn, “Dance then wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the dance said he.” Simply and directly… When all has been said, and all has been done, life is about learning to dance in the rain.