Scattered Seeds

A storm is nearby. We’ve had a few late-Lee.  The air against my skin is feeling cooler.  I notice the dogs seem a bit concerned as they are pacing back and forth.  Typically we get summer storms at this time of year. The wind blows through the trees creating a symphony of sounds as the wind chimes hanging on a limb in one of them takes center stage.  I love hearing the frogs croak out a chorus of joyful noise and I watch as leaves and pine straw blow by feeling the raindrops teasing me as they dance here and there on my arms much like a canon.  The whole scene is really quite beautiful.  Some people like to sit on their front porch rocking back and forth to the rumble of thunder, while others enjoy the light show only God can create! Each storm is unique. The severity of the storm varies. Some storms come with advanced warnings while other storms can take you by surprise.  My friends and family are keenly aware that storms frighten me. As much as I want to be that person who can sit in the front row and watch them take place before me, I’d rather be safe…inside.  That doesn’t work with every storm, though. I can’t avoid all of life’s storms.

These summer storms have me thinking late-Lee about the many directions our lives can take through the years. Year after year may escape us without any disruption, while others may be compounded with storm after storm.  Some storms may pass through just to wash and cleanse us, while others steal away priceless belongings and loved ones. If you take a moment and read Psalm 107, you will gain a better understanding of the storm God used to show his power and steadfast love and unbelievable forgiveness.  In Psalm 107:29 we find, “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” Could you imagine being witness to that command?  But why does it leave me in such awe? The same God who commanded the storms to still and the waves to hush created them.

When my daughters were growing up, I was committed to being honest with them. In doing so, I would tell them when they did good, when they didn’t, and how they needed to work harder to achieve goals.  I didn’t believe in giving them accolades when it wasn’t deserved. I still don’t.  (gasp)  I taught them to work hard to earn what they received and when things didn’t work out the way they wanted, they should always remember that what defines us after we fall is how we rise. You get back up there and try again.  Mistakes and failures are proof you are trying.  Even in their young lives they would experience storms that I couldn’t fix for them nor did I need to. But I believe after reading Psalm 107 that God uses storms to draw us closer to him.  I wanted them to always have a heart for God and for their compass to always lead them to the Bible to seek the answers they need rather than relying on earthly sources.  We’ve tried to do that over the years in dark times like miscarriages, deaths, test failures, hospitalizations, and on and on.  But, know we fail daily.  Sometimes I read scripture and have zero clue what it means. I am not sure if I have ever truly heard God’s voice. I envy those who have. They clearly speak to the instructions he provided them as if they were having a conversation with him in their living room. But, me, I often read scripture, pray earnestly over it for clarity, and I get…N O T H I N G or so I think. 

As a parent, one of the storms we face is when our children leave home.  But as I have watched as one used to make videos while in college of how scripture spoke to her and related it to her life during that time, journals about scripture until she has filled the pages of many books, and the other is committed to teaching her daughter who God is makes this mama’s heart full!   Both of them and those they love keep God center stage in their lives. Even now, when they come to me with a problem we talk about it, but more importantly we focus on prayer.  They share with me often about how God has worked in their lives. Keep in mind that doesn’t mean they (we) always get the answers we want, but we recognize it’s the answer he wants. Sometimes we all lose our way, but we help each other find our way back.  And as parents who have faced the storm of children leaving home, we need to always remember during storms seeds are often scattered and where they land new life blooms! That’s a wonderful thing!