A close friend was diagnosed with cancer and going through chemotherapy. A family member was sick and stranded abroad due to the pandemic’s travel restrictions. And I was dealing with daily relationship strains and politics at work. I felt drained, tired and helpless.
Often, amidst the storms in our lives, we will be drained and tired by events, and our attempts to control situations and steer them to our desired outcomes. Overwhelmed with different emotions and feelings, I decided to take a walk for some air.
Soon after I stepped out from my door, it was as if the weather was a direct reflection of my feelings – gloomy, cloudy and a clear sign of an incoming storm. I found shelter at a gazebo as rain droplets slowly trickled down. And the wind started to pick up, and a heavy downpour soon followed.
In spite the thunder and lightning, I could hear voices of worry in my head, and felt a burden on both my shoulders and like most people, I complained about the weather.
But the downpour forced me to slow down and simply just be.
“Why is this my immediate reaction and feeling? Why will my mind and heart immediately head to the worst place possible that I conjure up in my mind?”
I was then reminded of words from a close spiritual leader:
The reason why we often fall into depression is because we put too much emphasis on the wrong voices. We choose to listen to the voice that rings loudest, the voice which muffles God’s whisper.
It occurred to me that I must choose to drown out other voices and I must choose to listen to my one true source of peace – God himself.
Just as I was wrestling with my thoughts, the rain stopped. And I took a deep breath. I felt in-filled with a deep sense of peace, that He is the provider, and ultimately in control of all the situations.
And I saw a rainbow painted in the sky as the evening sun slowly emerge from the dispersed clouds.
Whose voices are you listening to right now?
Take a deep breath and notice your surroundings. He is with you, even if you don’t feel it. Know that after the storm, God’s light will always shine through, and there is rainbow waiting for you at the end of the storm.
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