the chaos before the storm.

There is a quiet before a storm as all living things sense the rain coming.  But yesterday, as I sat on my porch observing the dark navy clouds approaching from a distance, I noticed how chaotic things seemed to get as the storm clouds moved closer and closer to Paringa.  The birds stopping singing. Instead, they quickly rushed to their nests.  The chickens in the yard stopped clucking and searching for food, but only because they hurried under bushes together.  Even I grew silent, in that moment of awe and joy at a storm coming, but my heart was racing.  The question resting slightly below the surface of our every breath…when will the rain fall?

It did not.

The clouds skirted around us in such an obvious manner, you would think that God purposefully allowed it to rain everywhere except Paringa yesterday afternoon.  (He definitely did!)  Anyway, I kept thinking about it.  All that silence and then building anxiety in anticipation of loud peals of thunder, bright flashes of lightning, and heavy, pouring rainfall was for nothing.

Which then made me think about the many times during the day when little things start building up and creating anxiety about something that never comes to fruition.  It is easy to surrender to the quite unnecessary chaos before a storm that may or may not come.

But God calls His followers to “not be anxious about anything”!  He tells His sheep, “Do not be afraid.”  The Father reminds His children, “I am with you” and “I am the Lord; there is no other.”

This goes for when the storm clouds are approaching.

It goes for the maybe. 

This stands for the times when rain is coming down so hard you actually fear for your life. 

It stands for the for sure. 

This is true for when there are no storm clouds.

It is true for the nope.

This works for the times when the storm clouds change direction. 

It is true for the not what you thought would happen.

I am now making it a point to not get catch up in the chaos before the storm.

My prayer is that my heart would learn instead to join in the quietness that is also then.  

And be still.

For He is the God of it all.