Lost and Finding Joy

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God . . . Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things.

Isaiah 40:1, 26

We are told that when the storms come, we should have our houses built upon the rock. It doesn’t say if they come. As we gain wisdom by navigating life’s storms, we begin to understand that there are gifts that come from every storm.

Even though we have an opportunity to gain knowledge, strength, and more understanding as we navigate the storms in our lives, it is difficult to remember this when we are in the middle of one.

²³ But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

²⁴ And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

²⁵ And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Luke 8:23-25

Can you think of a time in your life that once you overcame a challenge, you were grateful for having gone through it? Maybe you were released from a bad situation that you didn’t realize was bad until you got away from it. Maybe your eyes were opened a little more or you became a stronger person. Maybe you were able to discover, learn, or experience something new. Only you know, but there is a gift in there somewhere.

We take our power back from a situation when we dare the dark — when we stop hiding from it and we simply look at it. We can ask ourselves: “What could possibly be the gift in this?”

This life is a beautiful gift full of beauty and wonder. Our experiences in this life are what helps us become more of who we are. We weren’t meant to have all peace, happiness, and easiness in life. We find strength through our challenges. We find courage through our fear. We find faith and trust in something greater than ourselves.

When we are in the middle of a storm we can trust in the Lord with all our heart; and lean not unto our own understanding. We can have the faith of a mustard seed and believe that it will get better, and believe we will be better for having gone through the storm. We can look up.