TURN IT OFF
“The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.” – Mt. 7:25
For those of us who have spent our childhood (or much of life) in Southern California, the majestic colors of fall leaves are nothing more than photos on a screensaver. Snowmen are mythical beings relegated to Christmas card images. The local weatherman has exhausted the thesaurus to describe the forecast as “hot and dry” in every imaginable way.
A few evenings ago the thermometer finally dropped below 80 degrees. As we got out of the car at home, a heavy gust of wind blew and it felt delightfully “fall” for the first time. My two-year-old Paul starts yelling, “Who turned the air conditioning on out here?”
I smirked and said, “God.”
“You tell God to stop this right now! Turn this off, God!!”
While I was enjoying the break from the unseasonable heat and celebrating the ¼ inch of rain we finally got, Paul just wanted to run and play outside without a jacket.
The past few months have continued to be filled with responsibilities that stretch me beyond my experience and comfort zone. When I open the door to a new day, I am met with something new, unexpected, and scary.
I often find myself overwhelmed by the tasks before me and my prayer is the same as my two-year-old “Turn this off, God!” I struggle to trust that God is not only caring for me, but also for the people and the work He has entrusted to me.
“Turn this off, God!” Help me feel safe again. Help me to trust that no matter how the wind huffs and puffs and blows, You have me safely wrapped in your arms.