How small we are. How little we know.

It came on like a thief in the night. There was no warning. All of a sudden we were all in a storm. It slammed into all that we were and what we had and did. Our lives, our worlds, were upended in a day, an hour, The clouds hung low. People kept a frightened eye on it and soon all we could talk about was this storm, this crisis, this thing.

The almost visible haze of fear became a suffocating reality. It throttled every iota of joy out of our lives. Most of us ate too much without realizing it. I guess we subconsciously looked for solace in food. Some slept way to much. Most got exhausted from doing nothing. Those with fragile bodies got inflammation. Stress has a very negative affect on the human body.

Lies, deception. schemes and scams, negative, nasty and neurotic we attacked one another. Small things made us cry like two year old's in frustration trying to walk or run. We were buried in the thickness of uncertainty and helpless search for information, truth really. It became a perfect storm. A psychological, financial and physical disaster.

How small we are. How little we know.

God is still where He always has been. This thing did not caught Him by surprise. He is still on the throne and in control. I wonder what Joseph thought when his brothers tossed him in a pit, sold him to some Egyptian slave traders and when he reached his incarceration. Could it be that his mind was milling about like some of ours in the midst of our storm? Could it be that he had similar fears and anxieties'? Or maybe put ourselves in the shoes of Daniel and his young friends. Kidnapped and taken captive to live in the Babylonian Kings court. They are mutilated and schooled into the culture and education of a heathen nation, What must have gone through their minds when the golden statue came to be and the demand to worship it? And when they are cast into a fiery furnace, did they thought like some of us do now: "God where are you?"?

A narrow place often leads to victory. A dark alley more times than not brings one out into incredible light. A place of terror, uncertainty and need too often solidify the truths we have inside of us.  And out of affliction we learn to hold tighter unto His hand and trust our own inclination less and less. The everlasting arms carry us when our knees buckle and His grace is sufficient when nothing else makes sense. We admire the Hero's. We honor the veterans. We listen to the stories. But we fail to realize that it took some unconventional, uncomfortable circumstances to make them.

Trusting God is not a theory. It is something to practice, to live out, to exercise. One cannot learn to ride a bicycle or learn to swim by reading a book or listening to others talking about it. In the middle of the storm, lift up your head and see the Father's loving hand in it all. See Him holding your universe in His hand and trust Him. He knows the end from the beginning and loves you so very, very much. Trust Him. He is in control.