Thunder Snow

Thunder snow

Wow, that sounds so impressive! It’s the prediction for the weather here today, but so far the sun is shining out of a clear, cold blue sky. I see it’s snowing on the west coast, but no sign of the powerful thunder snow up here (yet)...

Then again, do I really want thunder snow and all its potential disruptions? It sounds like it could not only trap us in our home through treacherous roads, but also blitz our power or our internet or telephone or everything. 

Funny how we seem to have an inherent urge to flirt with the wild side, to experience something that gives us a thrill because it is intrinsically full of danger. Of course we all want to walk away unscathed and get on with our lives, but there is a frisson of excitement at the thought of high drama in the weather forecast.

The disciples weren’t too chuffed when their trip across the water turned into a struggle with violent winds and seas. They cried out to Jesus for help and he expressed wonder at their lack of faith, before calming the storm. 

I don’t think any of us court testing times in our lives, but the odd brush with exciting weather ... gets the blood pumping.

Storm Damage

Wild winds and heavy rains swept through UK yesterday and knocked out our power just as we prepared breakfast for a paying guest. We had to finish it on a camping stove, which made it a little different from his usual!

Driving down to help paint our son’s flat, we encountered debris and branches and even trees down at various points along the way. When we returned hours later, a broom bush had broken off into the drive, and various other bushes straggled into the pathway. Cut and tidied away now, the drive looks better than it did before (slightly...)

Emotional storms hit all of us at different times and bring damage, too. Sometimes cherished opinions are uprooted; sometimes new ideas are revealed to have no lasting value. 

Spiritual storms can rock our foundations, but they also serve to reveal who we are clinging too, and who is holding us. It’s good to clear out the debris every so often. It’s good to have erroneous beliefs exposed and uprooted. It’s healthy to rake out the undergrowth that has collapsed after the storm and allow refreshing air to circulate in our souls.

Storms can be dramatic and scary, inconvenient and disruptive and destructive. But they can also renew and refresh and encourage healthy and strong growth. 

And the calm after the storm exudes peace.