When you hear of the word “Aftermath” what do you think of? It makes me think of a hurricane and I think of consequences of something. As I am look more into the effects of a hurricane it can be a scary thing. The strong winds move in a circular motion and when you look at the eye of the storm this is where the strongest winds are happening. They cause a lot of damage when it hits land. I wondered to myself how does the hurricane grow? Well once it comes into contact over warm water it helps the hurricane to become stronger.
I love the analogies that the Lord uses to speak to me when it comes to things in life. Hurricanes can happen in our own lives emotionally. It can start off as something minuet like a thunderstorm like having a rough day at work or something that’s been brewing or sitting dormant in our hearts. Then it comes in contact in warm waters and things begin to happen more frequently. That’s when it begins to cause the eye of hurricane to grow in our hearts. The trauma can cause torrential storms in our mind and hearts.
One of those torrential storms came in 2014, after receiving a call where one of my kids attempted to take their life. My whole world turned upside down when I got that call. There was already a lot happening with my family and life. As a parent this is one of the most devastating news that a parent could receive. So many thoughts went through my mind,”What just happened and what could have been so bad to want to take your own life?” You begin to decipher through the thoughts “Did I parent well enough or did I shelter too much”, Was I too hard and the thoughts began to pick up speed.
The eye of the storm began to create strong wind forces that began destroying everything in its path. I could not handle the circulating lies that were trying to destroy me. It was one of the loneliest times of my life. It was a time where everything was dark and my husband and I were getting beat up from the bands of the hurricane. My husband and I were on a sleep rotation to make sure it did not happen again. While trying to help stay attentive to our other children and life. This journey of mine has not been easy. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that I have it all together and haven’t had to deal with anything.
In fact, I’ve had all types of different storms throughout my life. I wish I can say somehow the problems skip me because I serve God. That in those dark times I felt alone, without God. Knowing deep in my heart that he was there every step of the way. Especially in that particular dark season. Today, my son is alive and well. I am thankful to God that he rescued him that day and had preserved him all these years.
Sometimes we do not understand why certain things happen and maybe never saw it coming. A lot of times after a storm there is the aftermath that we have to deal with. Things happen in a blink of an eye either from an unexpected illness, a loss of a loved one, divorce or even a financial setback. The storm hits so hard that then we have to deal with the aftermath. That our whole life can be in a billion pieces and do not know where to go to for coverage.
Today, I like to say I am a “Storm Chaser”, because I am curious and love to investigate and interrogate people and observe their interactions. I want to find out the media coverage of their lives. Like when the live news comes on the television. I find myself being sensitive to what they say, because you never know if they are threading on warm waters. Or if the winds are picking up and the eye of a hurricane is about to hit their life. In these situations I think to myself, God is wanting to come in and bring calmness to the storm.
Beloved, I am not sure what you may be facing today, but I want you to know your not alone in this. Allow me to pray for you today. Lord, touch my friend and allow him or her to feel your presence. Help bring the peace and calmness to their storm wherever they are at. That your love for them would be like a rushing wind that they are overtaken by it. Thank you for you reading this blog. I am still in awe of the things that God has done in my life and I know he has great things in store for yours! There maybe someone who is struggling and going through a hard storm. Be a storm chaser and help me, help others find coverage!
Storm Chaser,
Sandy Cortes, Carrier’s of Hope
Breathing Hope One Life at a Time!
