It’s Just Weather
Jo Acharya | July 29, 2024
I watch the garden go from blue sky and sunshine to darkness, sudden strong wind and then heavy, pounding rain. When you’re out in it you can feel overwhelmed – it’s all around you; there’s no escape.
Yet it’s just weather. It changes without warning. The sun returns, the warmth comes back, the crisis passes. You’re left soggy and windswept. But it’s just how it goes. It’s not malevolent; it’s not forever.
“It’s just weather.” That phrase dropped gently into my mind when I was unwell and worried I might end up in hospital. It felt like a whisper from God. And it made me angry. How could he say that? Couldn’t he see how this storm was battering me? But those words settled into my mind and now I’m hearing it differently. “Yes, right now it’s overwhelming, and it feels like this will never end. But it will. This storm will pass and everything will be okay. It’s just weather.”
If that still sounds flippant to you in the midst of your troubles, I get it. It may be a helpful thought for me but not for you. For me, it’s a reminder that even my hardest trials are ‘light and momentary’ against the glorious future God has promised me (2 Corinthians 4:17). Suffering comes and goes, but I am held securely. Even the storm that ends with my death will pass away into eternal joy. As Julian of Norwich famously wrote, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
Already it’s getting brighter again and the rain is easing off. The sun breaks through the cloud once again. The storm is not forever. It’s just weather.
If you’re going through a storm and in need of encouragement, click here to check out my devotional journal ‘Refresh’ . It’s a gentle companion for anyone who’s weary, struggling or looking for a fresh way to meet with God.
