On The Edge of a Storm

So many times life feels like we are on the edge of a storm. The other day Rachel and I really were on the edge of a storm. We were driving home from grocery shopping and it had been sunny everywhere we had been. Then we could see these big dark storm clouds overhead in the distance. I thought, man, we're going to drive right into it. It was really quite fascinating because we were right on the edge of it. We were just close enough to see the rain, but not close enough to get hit by it.

I then started to think, how often is life like this moment? We can see the storms in view. Do we run from the storm or find shelter? In the literal sense most people do. Then there are just a few out there who instead of avoiding the storms in life, they trudge forward and press on trusting that God is going to help them grow even when the thunder is rolling and the lightning is striking all around them.

I think that is an important moment for spouses in their marriages too. Marriage has storms just like the rest of life. We all have the choice of how we are going to respond. We can avoid the storm by burying ourselves in our work or play, but too often that is when the thunder crashes between two people. We can play it safe and walk on egg shells just to make sure there are no conflicts within the relationship and still never deal with any struggles. Or you can pull together as a couple and be a team by facing the storms together.....not against each other.

Our greatest weapon, or in this case, umbrella in the storms is prayer. I firmly believe in the old cliche' "A Family that prays together, stays together." If Christ is not the center of the relationship, then how can we build our marriages on the rock. A relationship that is not covered in prayer and that does not have Christ at the center is usually walking on shifting sand. Even when all these things are in place, it is still easy to become self-centered if we are not careful. We as couples have that choice to make on how we are going to respond when we reach those moments in our marriages or any relationship for that matter. We need to be praying more each day for our marriages and our friend's marriages that Jesus will truly be the center and the glue that holds us together whenever storms come near.

I love Ephesians 5:22-33. Unfortunately it is a piece of Scripture that gets under read. Most of us men stop reading after verse 23 and go, "Yeah submit to me for I am the head over you." We neglect to keep reading where it says LOVE your wives as CHRIST LOVES the church. It says we need to give ourselves up....for our wives. It also says we need to cleanse our wives with God's Word.....So does that mean they have to be worthy of our love?!! I think NOT! We are called to encourage and love them as well as become the men that God has created us to be for our wives. We are called to adore our wives and to present them as a radiant church. So before we get into our little macho attitudes, I think we need to look deeper into what the Word says. Yes, wives submit to your husbands and give him the respect he needs, but husbands, we really need to step up and be worthy of that respect. There are too many of us who are willing to die for our wives, but are not willing to do the dishes or make a meal.

Doing the little things can help prevent storms, or if you can see the storm ahead, drive forward and face that storm with the love that you have professed on your wedding day. These are just some thoughts that I had after seeing all of the thunderstorms (real literal thunderstorms) here in Knoxville the past few weeks.

Sometimes it's the storms where God helps us grow the most.