I always look forward to the new year, which to me represents a fresh start–a time to put away the clutter and clamor of the busy Christmas season and settle back into my comfortable routine with fresh zeal and renewed focus and determination to keep pressing on. This year began with a reminder of the unsettling ending of 2015, and the lessons I hope to carry with me throughout 2016.

Several days ago, barely into the new year, I got an emergency alert on my phone. I was driving at the time and glanced down and the only part I read was “take shelter now.” I thought that was a curious thing to say for a flash flood warning, which I had assumed the alert was for based upon the El Nino rains we were experiencing. Several minutes later I arrived at my destination and read the alert again. “Tornado warning in this area…take shelter now”!  I live in Southern California, but having grown up in Texas I knew the difference between a warning and a watch. This was serious! And highly unusual!  The surreal warning caught me completely off guard and all I wanted at the moment was to be safely home.

As mentioned many times on this site, we have been anticipating bumpy or even turbulent times ahead. We’ve written about prophecy and where we believe we could be in the grand scheme of things. At the very least, we believe we are experiencing the birth pangs Jesus described, which will only increase in intensity and frequency as time goes on. We’ve tried to convey our purpose in writing about these things, and that is to alert our friends and family who may not be aware of what’s happening. We also want to offer encouragement and share the hope and assurance we’ve found in our faith, that despite whatever the future holds, we can hold fast with confidence to the unchanging Word of God and His promises.

I truly believe with all of my heart that God is faithful. I have weathered many storms in my life and He has brought me through each one, and because of that I believe He’ll bring me through any future storms that are on or beyond the horizon. I have fled for refuge time and again to God, who cannot lie, and have found strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before me. This hope has been an anchor of my soul, and by drawing near to Jesus I’ve received mercy and grace to help me in my times of need. (See Hebrews 6:18-20 and 5:16.)

Having said all that, l want to share that I haven’t written lately in part due to the busy holidays, but more so due to an unexpected storm in my own life that came and went in December, much like the devastating tornados in Texas, leaving me disoriented, floundering, and feeling quite lost. My thought at the time, when the storm was most intense, was that I felt like I was in a tornado–not in the eye of the storm of a hurricane, where there is calm–but in a tornado, caught up in uncontrolled, swirling, unmanageable chaos. I can’t imagine being able to hold on to anything while caught up inside of a tornado. And that describes what I was experiencing–I wasn’t “holding fast” to anything! Instead, I panicked. I lost my bearings. I became disoriented. I couldn’t think straight. My emotions took over. I was afraid. And all I wanted was to be safely Home.

Once things started to settle, it took a while for me to adjust to the calm. I want to be honest here. I couldn’t read the Bible, I had no interest in listening to any sermon or inspirational message, I could barely pray, and I was impatient and dismissive of well-meaning encouragement from family and friends. The pain was simply too great. At my lowest point, one word kept coming to me that sustained me–a Name, actually–that we hear and sing at Christmas time.  Emmanuel.  “God with us.”

God with me.

I knew He was. And that was all I needed, ultimately. He was with me in the storm. And He would bring me through, yet again.

Things are calm now. Thankfully, my worst fears did not materialize. And now it is time to get to work–to get up, brush off, rebuild, and heal. After any destructive storm passes, the survivors often go through the rubble to dig out any keepsakes or treasures they can find. I am still sorting things out from this brief yet powerful storm, but I am thankful for the treasures that weren’t lost or swept away.

One of the treasures is the support of my family.  My husband, son, daughter, sisters, and nephew each provided very practical support and clear, decisive thinking. They steadied me. Another treasure is prayer. Many of my friends and family were praying for me and my loved ones, and although I don’t know the specifics of every prayer prayed, I can testify that several very specific prayers were answered, which I thank God for. Another treasure is music, and for me the Christmas carols soothed me, encouraged me, and reminded me why Christ came in the first place–to make a way for us to have peace with God so we could be near to Him always, especially in the storms. My storm wasn’t pleasant, and it was a reminder that Christ left the glories and riches of heaven to enter the ugliness of storms, many of which we have wrought on this earth through our choices and rebellion against Him. Another treasure was the realization that as believers we are the body of Christ. As part of that body, I learned that I can’t do it all and sometimes I will be the one to crumble, but when I do other parts of the body will strengthen me and lift me up, as I in turn will be able to strengthen and lift others up when they crumble. And then there is the treasure of ultimate and complete surrender to my Heavenly Father, with the realization that I am not in control and all I can do is trust Him and be at peace. And finally, there is the treasure of His Word which, when I have quieted myself and am ready to hear, never fails to bring me strength and comfort. During this time it was a popular and over-familiar passage, Psalm 23, that held fresh perspective and meaning for me at night when I couldn’t sleep.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

These are some of the lessons–the treasures–that were preserved for me and emerged again in the aftermath of my storm. I admit I was blindsided by the fact that I could be so completely knocked off balance and felt like I’d lost my way. I’m sharing all of this because I know more storms will come, as they always do. They are a part of life. I hope and pray that next time I’ll be stronger, that next time I’ll remember the lessons I’ve learned. But even if I don’t, even if I slip or stumble or fall, I have full confidence that the Lord will never let me go. He’s got me. And He has you, too.

Holding fast,

Lisa

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! (Jude 24-25)

^{Photography by Crucifix Jean-Luc}