Appreciating Lightning

Even in the middle of a raging storm, I can appreciate the lightning.

            Driving down the road that was wet with recent rain, I saw a flash of light. I didn’t know where it came from or if would come again. My roommates said that it was probably lightning, but I wasn’t so sure. Lightning and storms don’t come that often. Usually in the Pacific Northwest, all we get is rain. Sometimes it sprinkles, sometimes it down pours, but usually there isn’t anything much more exciting than that.

            We continued on the road toward Corban, and there it was. A bright, beautiful, lavender flash of light across the sky in front of us. There had yet to be a single raindrop on my windshield. I pulled in the parking lot and almost instantaneously loud hail started falling on the car. We opened the doors to get out and were greeted with heavy gusts of wind that made the trees bend and howl. It began to rain as we walked up the stairs, but this rain was not just a sprinkling or a trickle. It was a down pour. We were almost up the steps when yet again another flash of light caused us to scream and run towards the doors of the Psalm Center.

            Inside we found our seats and watched as students filed in, all soaked with rain. Hair dripping, but smiling faces. Abby and I decided we weren’t done watching the lightening. We went outside, standing under the large awning, just waiting for more excitement. We had only been outside maybe a minute when it happened. Probably the clearest view of lightning I have ever seen flashed in the field across from us. It lit up the sky a kind of eerie lavender and with it came a loud boom of thunder. Truthfully, I love thunder. I love the way it makes me feel like a child again, wanting to cling to my mom. I love the way it reminds me of God’s voice as it is described in the Bible.

            We wanted to watch the storm longer but Abby and I headed inside for the event. We kept watching out the windows, hoping to see another thrill of lavender glory strike the ground. They closed the doors and the show began, with only a small flicker of the lights to remind us of the storm rolling on outdoors. By the time the show was over, the storm had passed and the thunder ceased. We were all a little disappointed that we missed the show outside for a show inside, though the talent show was a lot of fun.

            I find it interesting that there is something sort of amazing about lightning. For me, it sends a thrill through my veins. I love the fact that you can see it so clearly and then in a flash it disappears right before your eyes. Something that can be so dangerous and destructive is also incredibly beautiful and breathtaking. In the middle of a storm, I can appreciate the lightning. I can appreciate something beautiful even in the midst of chaos. I find God in those moments. The moments where I am in a whirlwind of stress, exhaustion, confusion, and doubt, He shows me something amazing. He shows me how much the people around me love me and the wonderful small things that are still part of daily life. God reveals Himself in the midst of storms. He is the reminder of strength and beauty when the rest of the world is black, He is the flash of lavender beauty that catches my attention.

 Even though I can’t always see Him or feel Him, He is still present through my struggle. I am so thankful that He reveals beauty in the midst of ashes, or lightening in the middle of a storm. He turns the hurt into healing and the bad into good. He is the refuge for my soul when gusts of wind are making trees in my mind howl with doubt and confusion. He is constant though the trial and the change. He is beautiful.