Waiting out the Storm

I am currently in a Bible study on Genesis and we are on Noah and the flood.  I think it is so easy at times to become so familiar with stories like Noah and the Ark that we gloss over what it may have really been like.  We think of Noah and his family happily working together to build the ark, the animals show up, they all go in the ark to hang out while it rained (a steady, dreary rain maybe) for 40 days and 40 nights, they floated on calm water for a bit, then the water goes away, they come out and all is well again, without all the bad people to deal with.  We don't realize Noah spent over a year to build the ark while friends and neighbors probably ridiculed him mercilessly.  It had never rained before so no one, not even Noah, had any concept of water coming from the sky, storms or floods.  When the rain came, it was probably more like a hurricane with torrential rains, coupled with volcanic eruptions and massive tsunamis.  This was a storm of such immense proportion, it literally wiped out the entire world.  Not just a small forest and a little village of a few hundred people, an incredible civilization that some scholars estimate could have easily been over 1 million (given length of life and potential birth rates).  Even if you don't believe that to be the case, the destruction from the tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan is only a small picture of what it could have been like and they are still recovering years later.

I could go on about the debris and potential clean up, but I want to talk about the time also.  The storm lasted 40 days/nights, but they were on the ark for over a year, before they walked out onto dry land.  We know the story had a happy ending, but God didn't tell Noah it would all be over in one year so they could count down on a calendar.  All Noah could do was wait out the storm and then wait for the water to recede.  Trust God and wait.  And wait.  They had plenty to do, taking care of the animals, but I'm sure Noah wondered a few times if they were ever going to get off of the ark.

How many times in life are we in a stormy season, with seemingly no end in sight?  I know too many people going through difficult times and want so badly to see everything work out well right now.  I have been through times myself where it seems like God has forgotten me, or things don't seem to be working out so well.  That's when I have to remind myself that God does love me and there is a rainbow at the end of the storm.  Things may be very different, but God is still with me to provide a fresh start and a wonderful life (I'll leave that for Christmas-time!).

To anyone going through a storm, big or small, my prayers are with you and the rainbow is going to be beautiful.

Being Real

I've been thinking a lot lately about what is means to be real or authentic.  I listened to a CD from a Hearts at Home conference about being real in our marriage.  I read about being real in our faith in a book (Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, great book!).  It seems like everywhere I look I hear or see or read something about being real.  What does being "real" and authentic really look like?  And how much real do we really need to share?

I believe we are called to be real and authentic in our lives and relationships.  Which, to me, means being honest with yourself and others, allowing yourself to be vulnerable at times and not just put on the "I'm fine!" mask.  But I also believe we need to exercise wisdom and discernment.  Being real doesn't mean we have to share our family history with the grocery clerk or share all the juicy, potentially gory, details with our girlfriends.  We can be positive and encouraging, without promising that everything will work out great, because sometimes life is hard and unfair.  Fortunately we have a God that loves us and will always be there to walk by our side and give us hope.  It does not mean denying there is a problem or ignoring that you would really like to claw someone's eyeballs out, but keeping things in perspective and exercising self-control.  It does not mean never getting angry at God, it's not like He doesn't already know, but talking to Him and working it out.  I tell people, if God can't handle my getting angry sometimes when yucky things happen or I'm hurt, then He would be kind of wimpy and my God's no wimp! 

I believe being real is being able to respond to someone honestly in a sincere and genuine way.  I know when I'm "faking it"  or when I'm not being honest.  Granted there are times when "fake it til you make it" comes in handy and rather appropriate, that is where the wisdom comes in and I will know in my gut that that is the right thing to do in that situation.

It's where, what you say and what you believe and what you do all seem to match up consistently, no matter where you are.  And that is a beautiful thing!  I have not mastered this, but with God's help I'm getting better and better every day.