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10 Minutes Peace
by Susan McGrath
This week I endured a blizzard!
I know many of you experienced the same raging weather that I did, but my blizzard was not just on the outside - I was smacked with an emotional blizzard as well. I had seen the forecast for the snow, which turned out to be reliable for a change, but the forecast for my emotional blizzard was murky at best.
What I found to be ironic, and awesome as well, was how God used my down time and days off work due to the snow blizzard to deal with and calm my emotional blizzard. For several days I had less stress than usual. I was able to sleep in - as in I didn't have to set an alarm clock for six days straight! I organized some small pockets of my home and spent more time than usual with my children.
Our God is so wonderful in the way he takes adversity and builds character or provides rest through it. As the winds raged outside, I felt warm and protected in more than just a physical sense. I felt God's arms around me, comforting, reassuring and urging me to trust Him and find peace in His Word.
Job 38:1 says, "Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm." Now Job went through a lot more than I did and I picture this not so much as a weather-related storm as an emotional storm. (Although my bible notes do make reference to the word for "storm" here being the same one used for a strong wind which occurred in Exodus when Moses stretched out his hand and the Lord parted the sea for the Israelites to cross.) I guess that would make it a raging wind - to match the raging emotions Job was riding out.
And Job did ride it out, both the physical storm which claimed his children and the emotional storm which came from the harsh words of his "friends" and his internal struggle to keep his faith in the Lord. When the skies cleared, God blessed Job with even more, physically and spiritually, than he had before the onset of these storms.
My blizzards became a blessing as well. I had time to ponder and pray and my kids had a great time playing in the snow. And I believe that God will continue to build on the lessons I learn from this emotional storm and allow me to be an encouragement and a witness to others who have a gloomy forecast.
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a recovering journalist trying to encourage others and glorify God through writing;
living the small-town life with husband Tim and sons Lincoln, 12, and Sawyer, 6;
completing a few put-off writing projects while using chocolate for therapy.
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