Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Middle of the Night Storm

Trevor and I were in bed and asleep at 9:20 pm last night. This is a good thing since an incredibly loud thunderstorm woke us up around 2:15 am. At least we went to bed early to make up for the lost sleep later in the night. I was lying there trying to ignore the vibrating of the house and the bright flashes of light coming through our bedroom window and realized that sleep was a futile endeavor.

I got up and checked on Nathan as I went past his room. His eyes were like twin saucers in the preternaturally lit room and I went in to see if he needed anything. He confessed that he was about to come into my bedroom and get me because he was scared of the thunder. I reassured him that everything was alright, and told him that I was scared of thunder when I was a little girl too. I'm sure Nannie could tell him stories of me screaming for her in the night. He seemed calmed by the little talk and I went into the living room to check the local radar online.

There was a pocket of severe storms right over our house and a surrounding 20 mile radius and it was moving quickly. I had no more than closed the laptop to try and go back to bed, when the automatic light in the hall came on and I heard a stifled sob. When I got back to our room, I saw Gracie curled up tight next to Trevor quietly crying. I laid down next to her and took her in my arms as I murmured against her hair that it was just thunder and it couldn't hurt her.

She drifted off to sleep as the storm finally calmed and blew away, and I carried her to her own bed. She never roused or protested, and I was able to fall back asleep with little difficulty. The alarm going off at 6:00 am was like an ice pick in my brain, but I stumbled out of bed anyway to start the routine of my life all over again.

How many times as an adult have I longed for the comforting arms of Mama and Daddy when I have been buffeted by the storms that life brings? Too many to count, but what I have come to realize is that I don't need physical arms to calm and protect me. All I need is the comfort and peace that God gives me when I need it the most and he is always faithful. Thank you God. Thank you for Your sheltering arms when I am tossed about and feel like I am being washed away in a sea of difficulty. You are my rock and my fortress. You are my deliverer and I will trust in you.

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