Don't Waste This Storm

In February my dear sweetheart Beth was literally crying a few nights. Understand, my wife never once complained in carrying five babies full term. She was the toughest women I have ever met. Yet she was at her limit. Her beautiful smile that was always there was absent and those eyes that would just sparkle with life, were at times dim.

One morning as we awoke, I asked Beth the question, “What’s today?” She kind of looked at me quizzically and didn’t answer. I then gave her the answer, “Today is the day you will love me more than yesterday!” As we went to bed that night and prayed, I asked Beth, “What’s tomorrow?” Beth answered this time, “The day you will love me more than today!” These morning and evening questions were a gift from God. We started and ended every day with these questions. Beth needed to hear, and I needed to express my unconditional love and adoration!

When I left dentistry and decided to attend the seminary, I had a counseling class taught by a professor who had boys similar in age to my oldest son who was about twelve at the time. This professor told us that when he prayed with his sons before bed he always told them, “I love you no matter what!” From that day on I told all my children “I love you no matter what!” before bed. Years later they would remind me of this. I wanted them to know that I unconditionally loved them. Our loved ones need to regularly hear and feel our unconditional love and commitment!

Rod and Danielle had been living with us for a few months when I could sense Rod was a little antsy. We talked briefly and it was obvious he was struggling with the fact he was thirty-three years old and he and his family were living with his parents. He was struggling with his future being up in the air.

I gave Rod a hug and said, “If Rod I and Rod II can live in the same house for three months with not one cross word between us, I think God has your future under control!” Rod needed to still know that I and his heavenly Father loved him, “No matter what!” It has been over six years since that night. We are so close as father and son and there has never been a cross word since. God has also taken good care of Rod’s future!

In late February or early March, I was leading one of the leadership nights and one of the participants asked how Beth was doing. I told them about how I was doing everything I could to just get Beth through the night. I had started a Facebook group so the people in my leadership group could communicate and encourage each other during the week. Nicole messaged me and suggested we listen to a song “Just Be Held” by Casting Crowns. In the days ahead this song became like a theme song of how we learned to deal with the storms of life:

“So when you’re on your knees and answers seem so far away, You’re not alone, stop holding on and just be held, Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place, I’m on the throne, stop holding on and just be held, If your eyes are on the storm, you’ll wonder if I love you still, But if your eyes are on the cross, You’ll know I always have and always will.”

There are times in life when all we can do is lie in our Lord’s arms and trust him and just rest assured that he loves us and is unconditionally there for us. It was the same with Beth. I tend to be a person who wants to do or say something that will help a situation. She didn’t need to hear words or advice from me. All she needed was to lie in my arms knowing there was nothing she couldn’t ask for and that I was with her every step, every itch, every scratch.

There is comfort in knowing you are unconditionally loved. When we take our focus off the storm and instead focus on our real strength, a Lord who loved us enough to sacrifice his son, it is amazing the encouragement we can experience. Beth and I needed to learn to just lie in our Lord’s loving arms!