There’s nothing that can remind you of your weaknesses faster than a storm, literal or not. My family took a Florida vacation to Anna Maria Island. We stayed with some good friends who have been vacationing there since childhood. It was beautiful. The ocean was so calm and warm. Our kids spent hours swimming and exploring underwater with their goggles. They found lots of sand dollars, crabs, and shells.

The Calm Before The Storm

One evening, we were fishing off the pier in the bay, and a herd of manatees swam right up to us. Our friends said that in all the years of visiting the area, they had never seen a manatee near their home, let alone five of them. It was pretty amazing. The next day, we saw two green parrots in a tree in the front yard. Our friends insisted they were not aware that there were parrots on the island. Later that night, an entire flock flew overhead. There had to be at least ten or more parrots. It was absolutely beautiful.

The adventure continued on day three, when we were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. A light rain moved in, and the beach cleared. We stuck around and enjoyed the privacy of an empty beach. A group of us, including four adults and four teenagers were swimming when we noticed several curious dolphins moving in. They were swimming so close to us it was unbelievable. If we went underwater, we could hear the clicking of the dolphins communicating with each other. At this point, our friends said, I know you guys think this is probably typical for this area, but we have never seen anything like this.

I love nature, but I also live in Illinois, so manatees, dolphins, and parrots are not part of my normal week. I was loving and appreciating this rare opportunity we were given. When I spend time in nature, I am so amazed by God. He is such an artist and an amazing designer and engineer. He thought of everything. Nature has a way of sustaining itself perfectly and it does not need our help. Spending time near the ocean is always a great reminder to me that I have not even witnessed a fraction of what God has created.

The Storm Rolls In

Our family vacation was amazing, until it wasn’t. The day we were scheduled to fly home, Hurricane Debby made an appearance. I have never been in a hurricane before and I don’t ever want to be in one again. While waiting for our plane to arrive at the airport, we experienced a tornado in the midst of a hurricane, as if things were not crazy enough. Our flight was canceled, leaving us stranded.

Our friends were staying about 40 minutes away and were experiencing severe flooding and power outages, so going back to their house was not our best option. Due to the chaotic weather, the only flight we could get back home was 7 days later. Our dream vacation had turned south in a hurry. We decided to rent a car and drive the 18 hours home. It seemed like the only reasonable option.

Keeping Faith In The Storm

Driving through a hurricane is something I only want to experience once. I was trying to be the best co-pilot I could possibly be to my husband, who was white-knuckle driving our tiny rental car on a six-hour journey across the state of Florida. As we were driving off the island, I was looking around at the ocean. A few days ago, it was calm and beautiful, and today it was fierce and absolutely terrifying. I watched a large sailboat get tossed around like a toy in a bathtub. The boat was in a bay near the shore, and it looked scary. I cannot imagine being on a boat in the middle of the ocean during a storm.

My mind instantly went to the Bible story in the book of Matthew.

And suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but Jesus was sleeping. And his disciples went and woke him saying, “Lord, save us, we are going to die!” he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm. The men wondered in amazement, saying “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

While doing discipleship last year, my partner and I got into a discussion about “fearing the Lord.” The word fear can have a negative connotation and mislead people who are trying to understand scripture. A better explanation is that we must have respect for the Lord. We must have a reverence and awe for His power. It’s similar to teaching my 15 year twins to drive a car. I don’t want them to be afraid to drive, but I do want them to have a healthy respect for the responsibility they have been given to operate a vehicle that has the potential to be very dangerous.

Safety In The Storm

During our trip home, I took a screenshot of the weather app. Our vehicle was represented by a blue dot that was literally moving in the eye of the storm. As we drove north, we stayed right in the center of the swirling storm. We tried to stop only to find gas station doors locked. We decided to keep moving because we did not want to lose any more time than necessary. As we drove, the lyrics to the song Eye of the Storm by Ryan Stevenson ran through my head.

“In the eye of the storm.

You remain in control,

And in the middle of the war,

You guard my soul.

You alone are the anchor,

When my sails are torn,

Your love surrounds me

In the eye of the storm”

It was an eye-opening experience. My husband and I have never felt so vulnerable. As a parent, your primary goal is to care for your children and keep them safe. We were faced with challenges, natural disasters actually, that we had never experienced. We did not have the answers. It made us feel so small and vulnerable. As we got in the car, we prayed together for safety as we traveled home. God delivered us safely home, and my awe and reverence grew for his ability to both be in control of the world and just as quickly calm a storm. I plan to let this be a daily reminder to me that if Jesus can sleep on a boat in a storm because of His faith in God, so can I.