Weathering Life’s Storms

The past two blogs I have been writing about the weather—the weather in a child’s life. Weatherman Jesus has warned us that storms are on the way. These are not gentle April showers, but downpours that have the potential to capsize a life: The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell with a great crash.

The child I described was one who is a talented basketball player but whose coach thinks otherwise. His talent has been affirmed by many others, just not his coach. The temptation for the child and the parent (the two are usually in sync!) is to complain about the injustice, railing against the “brain-dead” coach! Jesus announced that the only way this boy won’t be blown down by this test is to hear these words of mine and put them into practice. This young man needs to hear and act on God’s truth.

But what truth does he need to incorporate into his life? In the previous post he was challenged by James to view these storms as a test from God: count it pure joy whenever you face trials! God wants to build character in this son so that he becomes mature and complete. This young man needs to know that trials are one of God’s primary ways in shaping his life for good.

But there are other Scriptures that can help this young man persevere through his trial. For an example:

• The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong. (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Knowing and being reminded that we live in a world where injustice happens frequently, may help him hold on. He is not suffering alone.
• Now that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Pet.1:22f) One of the challenges for this son will be to love his teammates wholeheartedly--even the ones playing ahead of him! Can he be genuinely enthused about their successes? Is it possible that these boys need affirmation more than he does?
• Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31) Though it may be difficult for a teenager to grasp this, he has the opportunity to begin learning that there are more important things than being on the first team of his basketball team.