When the weather changes and our old bodies ache, my husband says out loud that there must be a storm coming.

We all go through many storms in life; sometimes they are weather related but more often they are just part of our lives. 

How can we prepare for these storms? Those that are predicted by the weatherman, we can stock up on supplies and make sure the generator has fuel.

What about the other type of “storms?” Matthew 7:27 is the parable that Jesus told of a man building a house on a foundation of rock and the house standing through many storms. So, what is the solid rock Jesus is talking about? He is speaking of building the foundation of our lives on Jesus’ teachings and the Word of God as recorded in the Bible. 

So, is your life built on the rock or the sand that will be washed away with the first storm that hits?

The Bible also shows God using a storm to get the attention of Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and give them a message. Jonah went the other way, on a ship no less. God used a storm and the belly of a large fish to get his attention and have him obey. 

Have you been through a storm? Maybe you’re rethinking your ways? Listening to God’s way is the best way to get out of, or through, a storm.

I would like to quote from a new friend in Christ: “I do know personally that God has used storms in my life to get my attention and to focus my attention and trust in Him. When I have done this, I have come out of the storm in a much better place.”

Farmers in New York have free and confidential help available to get them through the storms. One such resource is NY FarmNet, which offers help or a listening ear that’s just a phone call away. Even if you don’t feel like you should, sharing during your stormy time is God’s way of calming the storm. 

Talk to someone: your pastor, a trusted friend or a trained counselor.

Not all days have to be stormy.

Laurie Bedford,
Jefferson, N.Y.

Bedford is a member of the Mountain Valley, N.Y., Chapter of Fellowship of Christian Farmers International. For more information on NY FarmNet, call 1-800-547-FARM (3276) or visit nyfarmnet.org