It was a dark and stormy night.

     The sound of the wind raging carried throughout the house.  Huddled under not enough blankets the cold kept trying to stab he and his sister.  These two sentences could be the introductory sentences to many people's life.  The scenario could be the beginning, middle or end of the story.  But it is someones story.  We often read, evaluate or decide on issues of our lives through the issues of other peoples lives.  We are better off or worse off than they are.  He or she doesn't understand how I feel because they haven't walked in my shoes.  Their relatives support and care for them.  Do  they?
     The part about the night being dark and stormy carries a lot of meaning.  Foreboding, eerie, intense, and anxiety producing are just a smattering of the emotions that come up with either the darkness of night or the storm anger.  But, what if there are people who love the dark and stormy night?  What if the night is a positive charge to the person and their personality?  When I was in my teens clouds on the horizon meant possible rain.  Rain meant we could stop work and have some down time.  When the clouds turned from shades of gray t shades of yellow all the previous feelings stopped.  Yellow clouds almost always meant hail.  That meant destruction of crops and other possessions.  Something so positive could turn into a foreboding in just moments.
     Sometimes we deal with transitions okay.  While other times we are definitely not okay with the transition.  When we are distant from the problem, we have little or no fear.  When the potential calamity comes upon someone we know; the actions and attitudes change as well.  The more love we pour into a relationship the greater the potential hurt that visits us.  So, people do one of several things in order to cope.  They stay in denial that there is a storm or that it's dark and nighttime.  They admit there is danger and run from it.  Finally there are times when we embrace the stormy and dark stormy night.  None of these choices is necessarily bad or good.  Each person makes these using their set of circumstances as a measuring stick.
     Sometimes the dark and stormy night is the only time to get the picture, figure out the purpose, or decide to cut bait or run.  It was a dark and stormy night when Jesus asked Peter to walk on the water to where he was.  It was a dark and stormy night when Judas fled to betray Jesus.  It was a dark and stormy night when Jesus hung on the cross, said, "it is finished." and died for humanity.  It is finished.  Fearing and appreciating the dark and stormy night seem completely joined and at peace with each other there on the cross.  When it is a dark and stormy night in our life we come to Jesus who is waiting for us to run to his shelter. 
     The unfortunate thought and belief of many is that the dark and stormy night goes away once we have given our lives to Jesus.  Not at all true.  The prophet Jeremiah was told by God to never marry because his life would be one of misery and negativity.  He was 13 at the time.  Still he did not shy away from the calling.  The apostle Paul actually created the dark and stormy night for others in his relentless pursuit of finding Christians to kill.  So, it is within our lives.  We have a mix of beliefs, emotions and thought that dictate how we interpret "dark and stormy night."  Is this where you are?  Are you waiting for God to take you through this time?  Perhaps you are now seeking if there is a God and why did he allow this to happen in your life. 
     It was a dark and stormy night when God worked on my soul.  I'm glad he brought the sonshine into my life.  Now it's his life and we're just getting started!