The Calm Before the Storm... and During... and After

Happy last Sunday of Summer 2019!!

I know it doesn’t seem like there is a lot to be thankful for with summer coming to an end and school starting tomorrow… but there is still SO MUCH!

Today we are thankful for:

1) the amazing summer!! And all of the wonderful memories that came with it. 

2) The first of the lasts! Today was the last time I’ll decorate my locker… crazy! 

3) Jesus being our anchor through the stormy waves of life!

Acts 27

Were you ever afraid of thunderstorms? So much that you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if it was storming outside? Most of us have grown out of our fear of physical thunderstorms… but there are still storms to be afraid of. 

The storms that life showers us with. The Torrential downpour of fear and helplessness that the devil sends our way. He tries to use storms to drive out our faith. 

Never fear! April showers bring May flowers!

Even through the seemingly worse storms… we find ourselves standing on solid ground. Jesus!! The one who can calm storms with only his words leads us to solid ground!! He protects us and is our strongest anchor when the waves get a little crazy!! 

Hebrews 6:19

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

We can be calm before, during, and after storms!! Jesus is always there to be our solid ground. How reassuring is that?! We never have to worry!!

Look at the parable of the wise and foolish builders. 

Matthew 6:24-27

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

One of my favorites!! A great reminder that Jesus is our rock and the strong foundation to build our faith on! 

When it rains cats and dogs, Jesus will guide us through life’s storms until we reach the eternal shores of Heaven! 

A nice thought to have before life gets hectic again with school starting up!! 

Things to work on this week:

1) going to bed early!! School is going to kick my butt until I get back into a healthy routine. 

2) Finding good podcasts to listen to! I want to start Sadie Robertson’s soon!

3) Lightening the load! Sometimes when the storms of life get bad we need to throw things overboard. Letting go of sins is never easy… but it has to be done! 

I hope you all have an amazing week! Please enjoy summer if you still have it. Good luck and God’s blessings to everyone starting school this week!! 

Here is calm day I had after hearing how we no longer have to fear storms from the sermon this morning!

Sharing my love for Jesus and his love for you!

Annika Bilitz