Perfect Storm??

As a young girl growing up, I remembered always being afraid of the end of the world. You see, my parents had been pulled into a Jehovah's Witness cult and back in the day they we told that the end of the world would be on such and such a date. Apparently, my mom figured this was going to occur through a horrid storm. So each time monsoon season came, we would be told to run and get in between the box spring and the mattress because it was after all, the end of the world. I still remember us four girls laying in between the box spring and matress, wide-eyed, being scared with our little dog also shaking. Thankfully, my parents got out of that but I still struggled with the fear of monsoons for years. I even remember trying to make it a game with my son by playing camp out (under the stairway)...of course, later he told me he knew what was up... As an adult I learned that if you have some knowledge about certain things in life, you can conquer fear. So, I watched everything I could on storms and tornado's. What I found were that storms are necessary. Without storms, the new seasons would not be able to usher in. The biggest storms come around the four different seasons. And thus, I find in my life that there are storms that have shaken my foundation and twigs and branches were lobbed off. Yet, it was necessary to usher in the new seasons of my life. To think we are going to cruise through this world with no storms is unrealistic. However, as I mature, I do desire to find that peace I've seen in others as they go through storms and I admire that. As we've probably all heard, "Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes God calms the child as they go through the storm.". Now, I see storms for what they are and while I won't drive in a monsoon...I'm so grateful for a loving God that doesn't allow anything in our life unless it's going to conform us. May we all desire that.