eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781546200147 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 08/22/2017 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 108 |
| File size: | 276 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
CREATION OF THE STORM
I wake up every morning and turn on the local news with the primary purpose of knowing the weather report for that day. There is one particular meteorologist I watch every day. I've grown used to his humor as he gives the weather update and I can sense his urgency when there is a change in the weather pattern. Living in New Jersey provides the opportunity to experience all types of weather patterns throughout the year. There's no doubt that the weather report is a vital part of my day. I am able to dress appropriately for whatever lies ahead. Have you ever noticed someone with a pair of shorts on when you know the forecast was the very opposite?
You wonder if they got the memo about what lies ahead. Or if they received the memo of the weather ahead – but chose to ignore it and dress for another season.
Merriam Webster defines meteorology as the atmospheric phenomena and weather of a region. In a broad physical sense, the atmosphere is the whole mass of air surrounding the Earth. However, the atmosphere can also be related to the air of a locality. Have you ever had the experience where you are driving in rain and suddenly it stops and the road you are on shows no evidence of rain prior? It's almost as if that rain cloud hovered over one particular area and when you drive out of it, you are suddenly back in the sunshine! I've always found that fascinating.
If we look at the concept of an atmosphere as a surrounding influence or environment then it can explain the reasoning on why I may be experiencing a storm cloud while my neighbor just a few blocks away may not have a storm at all. But the amazing part about an atmosphere is that is not stagnant. Even the worst storms in United States history had to move on when the storm was complete. The very nature of an atmosphere and weather is there is always movement. With this being said, there is hope that the storms of life that you face will pass over.
There are storms in life which we get the weather report for in advance and we are aware it is on the way. We can prepare effectively for those storms by securing any outdoor furniture, boarding windows and doors, ensuring we have an umbrella and rain gear if needed. These storms may seem easier to deal with because you can anticipate the outcome. Back in 2012, one of the worst storms hit the East Coast by the name of Hurricane Sandy. I can recall watching the storm hit New Jersey and losing power for days. The gas station lines were long, and banks were closed. If you didn't prepare with candles or generators ahead of time, you were guaranteed to be in the dark for days to come. That was a storm where the report of it coming was clear, but getting through the storm was the key.
I experienced a significant storm when I had my first child prematurely at 27 weeks, it was extremely difficult to deal with everything. His little 2 pound body seemed so frail with all the tubes hanging offof him. I didn't understand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the processes involved in making my baby well. Whenever there were setbacks in his condition it felt like daily storms and it was devastating. As time went on I learned about high risk pregnancies and prematurity. So when I became pregnant with my second child, my doctors anticipated the storm ahead and began to prepare early. I had weekly progesterone injections and I was placed on bedrest very early. I saw my doctor every week and had more ultrasounds than I could count. When my second son arrived at 30 weeks, I was able to anticipate the process because I had -learned through my first storm.
A storm will never be worth it unless you learn while you are in the middle of it. The human tendency is to feel sorry for ourselves and question why we even have to go through the pain and struggle. And in the middle of all of it we miss those silent lessons that come to make us stronger. People around you that watch you go through the storm are more likely to remember what you looked like after the storm rather than what you looked like before. I've seen friends from the past and have been able to say "Wow, after all he or she has been through look how great they look". But if we don't grab hold of the lessons in the storm then we will miss the glory that comes after the story.
When I think back on my life, I realize that there were situations in my early years that may have caused the storm to brew. I was born in Landstuhl, Germany to two young soldiers – one from Alabama and one from Jamaica, West Indies. Two very different people from different cultures experience a connection of their worlds in the U.S. Army. While I can't remember many of those days, I can recall my mother reminding me that I spoke German fluently as a baby. Can you imagine! But all the while the storm of divorce and separation was brewing – threatening to destroy the comfort zone created by God. By the time I was 5 years old, I can recall moving to New York City with my mother and meeting my grandmother in New York for the first time. Many nights I listened to my mother cry as she struggled through the calamity of divorce and separation. She would close her door, and pray. Most of her prayers not words, but tears.
Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, "Where is this God of yours?" Psalms 42:3 (NLT)
As a little girl, never would I have imagined that I too would close my doors and weep in the same storm as my mother. There are cycles that ravage families and cause the storms to create and linger. But we must make a decision to change the atmosphere as soon as the storm is over to cause it not to brew in that same way again. If God has delivered you, don't be the victim any longer but become the victor! Tell that storm that you made it and the atmosphere has changed and been released. The arrival and passing of a storm means there was a shift in the atmosphere. While you are in the storm, you must speak to the atmosphere in your life and pray for the shift to occur. There is no storm that you are in that God is not there.
Journal Moments:
1. What significant event has taken place in your life that you would classify as a storm?
2. If you were informed of a storm on the way, how would you prepare (naturally and spiritually)?
3. Are there are difficult times in your life that came about due to decisions you made? If so, what were the lessons you think you were meant to learn from it?
Take time on the next few pages to record your thoughts
1. What significant event has taken place in your life that you would classify as a storm?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. If you were informed of a storm on the way, how would you prepare (naturally and spiritually)?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Are there are difficult times in your life that came about due to decisions you made? If so, what were the lessons you think you were meant to learn from it?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 2
QUALIFICATION FOR THE STORM
Throughout this book, I will make reference to the biblical account of a man named Job.
Job was a wealthy and religious man who appeared to have life under control. Job 1:1 -5 describes Job in this way:
There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless – a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in the entire area. Job's sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended – sometimes after several days – Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, "Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts". This was Job's regular practice.
In modern day perception, Job "had it all together". I imagine he was a good husband and father, great credit, wealthy and healthy. I'm sure every day of his life was not a walk in the park, but generally he would have no worries. He shunned evil which indicates he had a no nonsense attitude for what was not right in the sight of God. He would even make arrangements for the purification of his children because he was concerned about their souls and their relationship with God. He was the greatest man among all the people of the east.
You may be thinking "I don't fit that picture" and "That's not my life story!". Many of us are living with bad decisions that have taken our lives off course. We deal with lack and emotional poverty that holds us back from pursuing our dreams. Shame and guilt hold us captive to our past. When the storms show up it's easy to point the blame at someone else and even ourselves. We feel there is something we have done that must have qualified us for the storm.
Although I did my best to have a healthy pregnancy, my children were born prematurely. And many days as I walked the hospital corridor I tried to retrace my steps to see what qualified me for this storm. I read books on prematurity attempting to diagnose my own situation. All statistics and medical advice explained to me that there was no one specific reason for premature birth. Yet, I felt guilt and wanted to find the root of my storm.
Scientifically, thunderstorms are formed by the action of warm air rising and cold air sinking. Th ree of the most important ingredients for thunderstorm formation is unstable air, moisture, and lift. As I reflected on the thunderstorm formation elements, I realized that there were some times of instability in my life that brought on the storms. Maybe my judgement was not on point as I ventured into relationships. Possibly a bad financial deal was the element that caused a storm to brew. Moisture is a sign of water without the liquid flow of water. Are there parts of your life where you have a sign of something but not the full outflow? Too much moisture or too little moisture can be good or bad depending on what it comes in contact with. Moisture in a room can keep it humidified for clear breathing at a certain level, but too much moisture can cause mildew which is unsafe for breathing. You have to examine your life to determine if there are things or people in your life which are meant for a season but if they stay longer they can do damage, hence the formation of a storm. Lastly, a lift is needed in order to move the storm. This is evident because it is windy when a storm is on its way. You will notice the wind pick up and begin moving things around.
So how does Job fit in topic of storms? As you will see on our journey together, Job was a key candidate for the storm. See, the storms of life may not show up based on how good or bad you have been. The storms of life don't look for how much money is in your bank account. It is simply a weather pattern that comes through an atmosphere for an intended purpose. As you continue to read, my prayer is that you will see that like Job, the storm was never intended to kill you. Yes, it may very well feel as if you are dying. You may be struggling with depression and anxiety as everything goes wrong. But you must know that you are qualified for the storm.
One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. "Where have you come from?" the Lord asked Satan (Job 1:6 – 8). Satan answered the Lord, "I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that's going on". Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless – a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil." (Job 6:1-8)
This look into the heavenly transaction regarding Job's life was a clear indicator that God knew that Job was capable of handling the storm.
It may be difficult to embrace the fact that God allowed Job to be tested. There have been times in my life where I asked God "Why?". As I grew in my faith, and matured in the Word of God, I began to hold on to verses like Romans 8:28 which says "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them". I could rest in knowing that the storm of hurt and pain was not meant to kill me, rather it would leave me as a survivor to help others. Today, I can pray with strong conviction. I was qualified for my storm.
Journal Moments:
1. Have you ever felt like Job – doing all the right things but still experiencing difficulty? How did you handle that?
2. What strengths did you see in yourself that you didn't know where there before your difficult season?
3. How can you turn your painful moments into helpful moments for others?
Take time on the next few pages to record your thoughts
1. Have you ever felt like Job – doing all the right things but still experiencing difficulty? How did you handle that?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What strengths did you see in yourself that you didn't know where there before your difficult season?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. How can you turn your painful moments into helpful moments for others?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 3
DECISION MAKING WHEN THE STORM ARRIVES
My youngest child learned about storms during his science curriculum at school and he became fascinated and afraid as well. When he realized that the concepts being taught by his teacher were not just in a book, but could also manifest in the natural it became troubling for him. One day we were out on our way to a restaurant for dinner and a storm showed up. He said "Turn back Mommy! Let's go back home!". He was literally in tears. I began to feel nervous driving through the storm but I was in a place of decision. Either I turn back home or keep going to the restaurant. When I calculated my current location, my destination was closer. While home appeared to be the safest place, it was more logical to press forward to the restaurant and seek shelter there.
When the storm clouds are raging in your life – think before you act. Stop for a moment and calculate where you are. You need to decide if it's worth turning back or pressing forward. Your finances may be in red, but is it worth you resorting to where you were before. Or do you continue to foster good habits, focus on your spending and saving so you can reach your destination? Your marriage may be under attack and everything is going wrong, but is it worth you filing for divorce or is there enough to hold on for just a little longer?
What is logical and safe is not always where God desires you to be. Sometimes God allows the storm to arrive so you can make a decision. The storm arrived, I was on the road already close to my destination. When I got there, we ran inside (and got soaked instantly by all the rain). The lights in the restaurant blinked on and offa few times threatening a power outage. But yet I felt safe knowing I was among others. By the time we had our meal, the storm was passing over. What will you do when the storm arrives? Even as you read this book I want you to take a moment and reflect on how you have reacted when storms arrived in your life. Did you run from the crisis? When the storm arrives, stop and calculate where you are. The logical decision may not be the right decision.
The Bible gives us these Words to Live By in Decision Making:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:6-7).
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9).
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Storm Clouds Are Passing"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Nikki Henderson.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Dedication, vii,
Acknowledgements, ix,
Foreword, xi,
Introduction, xvii,
Chapter One Creation of the Storm, 1,
Chapter Two: Qualification for the Storm, 7,
Chapter Three: Decision Making when the Storm Arrives, 13,
Chapter Four: The Arrival of the Storm, 20,
Chapter Five: Worshipping Thru the Storm, 28,
Chapter Six: Loving Yourself and Others Thru the Storm, 38,
Chapter Seven: Growing Thru the Storm, 44,
Chapter Eight: You've Sighed Long Enough – It's time for you to cry out!, 51,
Chapter Nine: Be Careful who you Listen to During the Storm, 58,
Chapter Ten: Your Response is Critical During the Storm, 65,
Chapter Eleven: Forgiveness During and After the Storm, 72,
Chapter Twelve: Rest Assure the Storm Will Pass, 82,
About the Author, 87,