He huffed and he puffed

Last weekend the wind blew. It did not seem like an extraordinary wind. It was powerful, for sure, but it did not seem anything like storms we have seen here in the past. The wind howled, the trees shook, the roof rattled, and dust filled every open crevice. Sometimes it all depends on location and wind direction. Sometimes it happens when we least expect it.

No one expected the phone to ring Saturday morning saying the words that were said. Let’s rewind a bit first.

Karrie and I got up early Saturday morning. We had a full day planned of everyone’s favorite pastime: yard work. We started at Karrie’s mom’s house. Lawn mowed, weeds whacked, debris gathered. We had fought the wind a little bit, but we managed. There was sand and dirt in our ears and hair, but we got the work done in a little over an hour and headed home. We decided to break a bit, let the wind die down before starting our own lawn. The phone rang.

Our son had received a call from Karrie’s mom’s neighbor. Her back porch had just done a “Dorothy” from the Wizard of Oz and was now gone. We all responded to the scene of the Big Bad Wolf’s destruction and were amazed at the crime scene. The metal poles that held the roof up were flung to the street in front of the home. Half of her porch roof was on top of her other roof, and the other half was in her yard beside her home. The roof was completely removed from its secured position by a thunderous “huff and puff” from the fairytale canine.

Not only did the roof disappear from its position of 40-plus years, but the refrigerator had also been spun into the yard as well. That is a serious puff of wind. Stuff was everywhere, and the wind was still blowing. We knew that if we did not secure some of the items, they would be heading toward Crescent Bay with the next wolf attack. We knew there was some danger involved with this, with half a roof still sitting above us on the other roof. We got it all cleaned up and secure without incident.

Sometimes life sends us a hard wind and we must clean up the mess it leaves behind. Even things we think are secure in our lives can sometimes have their foundations attacked by a huff and a puff from a destructive source. Or a tornado from the farmland can whisk you away to a strange land that you don’t recognize, and you are left searching for answers in an unfamiliar territory. Granted, everyone was safe in our little scenario, and things will be OK; maybe a little uncomfortable for a while, but we will survive. We can all weather the storm. We are built for it.

There is a song out there called “In the Eye of the Storm.” It talks about how we find ourselves in the midst of a life situation that feels like a storm. Sometimes damage is done, but God is in control. He anchors us, protects us and pours love on us. Even as the rain falls, the dust blows in our eyes and the roof is ripped off from above us, he loves us, protects us and provides.

I forget that sometimes. I try so hard to take care of things myself, or to fix the problems sprouting up around me over which I seem to have no control. That’s because most of the time I don’t. He does. I can try with all my might to secure the things around me, but when it comes right down to it, God is the one with his hand covering me with protection. Not a roof or an umbrella or a bunker. God is the one protecting us in the midst of the storm. The sooner we let him be in control, the easier things will get, especially in the hard times.