A teacher recently confided her awareness that students were excited by the current series of storms. They were hoping to get out of school and lit up by the excitement. The horrors and potential damage did not appear to enter their thinking. The older see the damage to home, property, life and limb. We count the cost when the young see the thrill. We older were once there and may yet have areas where thinking and emotions haven’t caught up to maturity.

Storms build maturity. They force people to face that which is beyond their control and require them to show the true quality of their hearts. Some will rise up in helpfulness, extending themselves to sometimes extravagant levels to provide hope and help to others. Some go into survival mode, working their way through the challenge, some others may actually go into victim/blame/self-pity mode making their situation tough and tougher for those around them. Each person is given a chance and choice in the challenge to see who they are, how they operate, and assess the possibility of staying the same or growing forward. Challenges are the bullies that push people off of the fence and make them commit to grow or no grow.

Challenges can be as small as a discomfort or inconvenience to as large as a violent storm or other catastrophic event. Sometimes the continuous small challenges are really preparation for the bigger challenges that always come. It is not good to put off the small challenges thinking that saving up for the big challenge is a good idea. Practice and rehearsal are always necessary for a good performance. Failure in the small can often lead to failure in the large. All challenges prepare people for the next things on their personal timelines. All can push toward positive growth as an individual, quality person. Each choice makes a difference in what comes next. Each decision creates the future that is waiting for your arrival.

Storms introduce humility. The most powerful person on planet is not in control of the planet or all the circumstances within which he/she stands. We live in the illusion of power without the substance of it. We influence, but don’t control. Weather proves human need for humility, the realization of the greater that is more than any and all of us. God is greater. Humility allows us to see Him and realize His truth for our lives. Humility makes an individual teachable and provides a conduit for personal growth, development, and relationship. God may not want the storms to hurt us, but He can certainly use the storms to grow us. He is able to turn anything, good or bad into something of great value and benefit. The storm may not be good, but God is.