The Theology of Bad Weather

Hello!

What a wacky week of weather we have had this week! A good amount of snow and more than enough teeth-chattering COLD! As many of you know, I love this stuff. I even love the bitter cold. I love driving in it too!

As I was driving around town this week, I had a revelation I'd like to share. It happened as I drove behind a line of cars going about 25 mph and keeping the appropriate distance so as not to slide into one another. Personally, I have the tendency to drive faster than normal when the weather is good. But, when the weather turns nasty, I do a complete turn-around and I become the safe driver I was trained to be.

I realized as I was driving that one of the reasons I love this weather is because it forces me to slow down. It reminds me of how to safely navigate the streets of the city. I remember my training and the fundamentals that lead to safe driving because I have to fall back on that knowledge to safely go from one place to another.

I began to wonder if the "cold fronts" and "bad weather" I experience in my emotional and spiritual life cause me to slow down and safely navigate the potentially treacherous turns that confront me?

Sometimes I react to the bad weather moments I face. Rushing to find a solution, slipping and sliding around on the icy landscape of diffcult decisions and sometimes carelessly running into obstacles in front of me. Sometimes I forget that to safely navigate these difficult conditions all I have to do is slow down, give myself some space, and stay focused on my next step.

The times that I have most successfully navigated the stormy conditions I've faced, have been those times when I have not feared the bad weather and I have gone back to how I was trained up in the Christian faith. We will all face cold fronts and bad weather in our lives. The question is, will we fear those extreme conditions and carelessly navigate the dangerous roads, or will we slow down, make space, and stay focused on the One who will get us through the storm?

The bad weather can be good when we allow it to strengthen our faith and remind us how to safely navigate the streets and alleys of life (James 1:2-4).

Almighty God, thank you for the bad weather of life. Allow it to remind me to slow down, make space for You, and stay focused on Your purpose for my life. Protect me in my journey through the treacherous conditions and safely navigate every turn of my life. May these conditions strengthen my faith in You and my love for You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.