I really should have known better. There is this thing called a weather app which could have provided critical forecast information and aided greatly in preventing my ice-cold dilemma.

Ah, now that would have been the smart thing to do. The problem was that I had parked my car in a warm sunny parking lot a few days earlier only to return to John Glenn International airport to sub-zero temperatures with a hearty helping of ice and snow.

After prying open the door and starting the car I looked down to a dashboard warning message which said… ICE POSSIBLE-USE CAUTION!

Well, thank you very much for the advice! Picture if you will… just me in a lone airport parking lot during a snowstorm chiseling my way through an outer coating of nature’s finest ice and snow all the while laughing aloud at myself. Crying wasn’t really advisable, you see, my face would have frozen!

Ice storms, snow storms… the storms of life, we all face them. It’s what you do while you’re in the storm that matters most. You read a passage of scripture describing how God can help you in the storms of life and you feel blessed and confident, yet when you live it from the deck of a boat that’s storm tossed… it’s a little different story!

Luke records a great example… “Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish.

Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.” There are a few observations that jump out at me when I hear that story.

First, just because you are doing what Jesus told you to do doesn’t mean you won’t face storms! Think of that. Jesus told them to get into the boat and cast off, yet before long they were smack in the middle of a storm. Storms will come and go, yet Jesus is still in control!

Secondly, sometimes even in the storm, we can feel like God is asleep! Did you catch that in the midst of the storm Jesus slipped to one corner of the ship and dozed off? How can that be? Let me assure you, even though storms rage, God is still in control! Observation number three. When the storms rage and it seems God is asleep, the best thing you can do is to stay in the boat!

Please know that when storms come, and they will, with Jesus is the safest place to be!

Often in adversity we want God to do a removing job when He wants to do an improving job. To realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the storm! One more thing I see is that Jesus is still over any storm I may be under! He just spoke, and the storm settled down. It’s still true today, when He speaks to the situations of our lives, that’s when true peace comes!

From scraping windshields in the freezing cold to dealing with the everyday challenges life brings. There are many times looking back when we find ourselves realizing all the wisdom and life experiences we glean from the journey of life.

A small girl had been promised the privilege of climbing to a nearby hilltop where her brother enjoyed playing. But when she came within sight of the steep, rough path, she drew back in dismay. “Why, there isn’t a smooth spot anywhere. It’s all bumpy and stony!” she exclaimed. ‘Yes,’ said her more experienced older brother, “but how else would we ever climb to the top if it wasn’t? The stones and bumps are what we step on to get there.”

Someone has aptly written, “God has not promised skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways all our life through; God has not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God has promised strength for the day, Rest for the labor, light for the way; Grace for the trials, help from above, Unfailing sympathy, undying love.”

I’ve always loved those lines and I pray that God helps me to focus not on the storms I may find myself in, but focus on His promises that are true and faithful! Dashboards can flash and sound their warnings. I know the one whose hand makes the weather!

Tim Throckmorton is the national director of Family Resource Council’s Community Impact Teams.