Kim Wilbanks

Stormy Weather

It’s officially summer here in central Florida, where I live. We have a month until it is summer according to the calendar but Florida doesn’t play by the rules. It feels like summer because the days are steamy and the afternoon thunderstorms have returned. We had a doozy of one yesterday. I think lightning struck my neighbor’s air conditioner.

Yesterday was a little bit unusual. We had morning storms in addition to our typical afternoon storm. Actually, it stormed off and on most of the day. The good thing about the overcast morning was that it was not so hot when I walked my dog.

I knew something was different when I woke up. The sky was a dull gray instead of bright blue. As soon as Boone finished his breakfast, we headed out on our daily walk. We walked to my mom’s house the next street over. We didn’t go in because I thought she may still be asleep. It was a perfect morning to stay snuggled under the covers. We continued on our usual route towards the entrance to our neighborhood. I glanced behind me and saw the ominous clouds slowly moving north. I decided to take a right turn and head home before the sky fell.

We were almost home when I looked back again. Sure, the clouds were dark and brooding but they were also beautiful, ethereal. I stood on the side of the road (we don’t have sidewalks) transfixed by the clouds slowly rolling in. I even took a video. 

The words to the song “I Will Praise You in the Storm” by Christian Recording Group Casting Crowns started going through my mind. Such a timely reminder to continue to praise God even during the storms of life — literal or figurative.

Storms In Nature, Storms In Life

I don’t like storms much, at least not being in them. If there is lightning anywhere close by I will take cover, pronto. At the beach, I am amazed at the number of people who stay out on the beach and even in the water when a storm, with lightning, is clearly approaching. I don’t mind watching storms, from the safety of my home, with no threat of actual harm. But you can’t always avoid getting caught in a storm.

Sometimes we enter a storm that doesn’t involve wind, rain or lightning. Sometimes it’s a storm  of circumstances. My family is in one such storm as I write this. It’s nothing unique to our family, many have experienced the same thing the past couple of years. Just when we were breathing a sigh of relief that things were “getting back to normal,” COVID hit again. After successfully avoiding the virus the past two years, somehow, both of my parents tested positive, the one thing I have dreaded the most since this all began.

Thankfully, my mom is on the mend, feeling much better. Unfortunately, my dad is in the hospital. He made it out and to rehab for almost a day but had to return. We are hoping he will be released to rehab once again soon. But, like storms, there are a lot of unknowns.

Wise Words From A Friend

I had lunch with a good friend this week. We are in a similar phase of life with parents and adult children and all that goes along with that. As she prayed over our lunch and for our parents, she reminded me of an important truth — God is not surprised by any of the circumstances in our lives. I may wring my hands in anxiety, wondering why something is happening and what’s going to happen next but God is not at all surprised. He knows exactly what’s coming and how it will fit into the grand scheme of things, how it will bring Him glory. It is my job to rest in His word and trust that He will be near and will see me, see us through the storms in life. Believe, trust, rest.

Be still and know that I am God

I will praise You in the storm