The Storms of Life

By Cindy Oriol

The Storms of life try to pull us under, but the Lord is always there to pick us up. These storms of life place us all in periods of indecision, loneliness, pain, and even a sense of defeat. The question that confronts us all is; how do we deal with them?

Several years ago, I asked this question, “Oh Lord, what do I do now? How can I get out of these rough waves? They are coming way too fast; I can’t catch a breath.” I was being sucked into the treacherous waves of life’s storms and felt that they would never stop. My storms of suffering included being in a wheelchair for a year because of a life-changing injury that has left me with chronic pain throughout my body. I was diagnosed with two different cancers: pancreas and breast. I suffered minimal side effects from having had a stroke. I began having seizures and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. My body burns when I touch it from my hair to my feet. And because of the chemotherapy I endured, I have neuropathy in both my feet and hands. Recently, I was diagnosed with diabetes and I continue to have many colon issues.

Have you ever been wading in the ocean, standing in water up to your waist with your back facing toward the ocean when, suddenly, swoosh! the rushing water pulls you under and you feel as if you are drowning? This gives you a sense of anxiety and you are frightened. You feel helpless, but then the waves return into the ocean and you find you are not afraid anymore. And then, before you drag yourself out of the water, swoosh! the waves knock you down again. This is when those emotions of being frightened begin all over again.

This is exactly how we are when it becomes time to trust in Jesus, completely trust in him for everything. The waves knock us down, and the ocean feels like it’s swallowing us. We feel there isn’t any hope and once again we feel frightened. This is when we need to trust in Him. The waves are knocking us down with the storms of life and we pray, “Oh Lord, please help me get out of this storm, I am drowning.” As soon as we give it over to Him, we feel safe as the waves return into the ocean. We trust that we will now be okay. Often, we think we had handed everything over to Him, only to find out we were taking it back again. We must continue to trust in the Lord and give it all to Him.

I want my readers to know that we have a risen Savior who is waiting with his arms opened wide, beckoning for us to come inside.

Do you feel hopeless and lost? Do you need consolation? Do you need a miracle? So, what are we to do when we experience these storms? The answer is to trust in Him completely. He already knows what we are going through, and He is patiently waiting for us to enter his outstretched arms. I challenge each one of us to lay all our burdens at the foot of the cross, keep them there, and watch what the Lord will do.

Cindy’s latest book, Having Joy in the Midst of the Storm, which she and the Lord wrote together, will not only encourage and inspire you, but it will also show you how to face and deal with these storms while Jesus carries you through the raging waves. Cindy’s book is her living testimonial of the journey she is taking with the Lord. It will not only encourage and inspire you, but it will show you that during these trying times, we have hope and His name is Jesus, the one who suffered, bled, and died for us all.