Blinding sunshine and fluffy white clouds greet me in the morning.
By afternoon, those same white billowing clouds roll into the harbor dark and ominous. Wind roars down the streets, trees sway and within moments cracks of thunder and peels of lighting scatter the sky. These storms are majestic, fierce, beautiful and terrifying at times.
Waves will rage in the harbor, and it always delights my boys to see the boats buoy back and forth in the marina during a storm. Tossed about by the waves, yet stable only by a rope and it’s anchor.
What every good Florida girl knows is that the storms often blow through quickly, and while the fierceness of the storm can frighten tourists, those of us locals come to expect afternoon storms daily. We plan our day around them, aware of their presence and their power, yet not fearful of them.
Why? Because we know that the storms will rage, but we’ve survived the storms in the past and we will survive the storms in our midst.
We also know how to prepare for storms. What gear to keep in our cars, how much water to store in our homes, how many flashlights and batteries to keep on hand. We know safe locations for severe storms and we take shelter when given emergency warnings.
We’ve walked through storm season prepared and hence we face it with less fear.
This past week a storm blew through our community like one we haven’t faced in a while. This storm didn’t come with layers of clouds or strokes of thunder. This storm- a tragic car accident- took the life of a sweet 5 year old just miles from my actual home. Sweet Sawyer went out to play, and in one moment was called to heaven.
Summer and Repp, Sawyer’s parent’s, are now walking through what may be the fiercest storm of this life. As I have watched the events of this past week unfold, all the heartache, tears, cries, and sorrow, what shines through this storm the most is the power of a stable anchor.
Repp and Summer committed in their hearts many years ago to anchor their hearts and lives to Christ. They took the fibers of their lives and wove them together with one another. As their children came into their lives that wove their children into their rope and anchored their children into Christ. They committed to the faithfulness of attending church, Bible study and prayer. They lived lives of discipline, dedication and faithfulness when they faced small waves of discomfort and pain and their anchor remained stable. So they kept weaving the fibers of their lives into the anchor.
Slowly, steadily they spun together the fibers of rope- prayer, faith, community.
As the hurricane of pain landed in the front of their home, as waves of sorrow seek to overtake them, I witnessed the power of being anchored to Christ.
The faithfulness practiced in the dark shone forth the glory of God in the light.
As thousands of eyes stood upon this couple to see how they would respond to the storm of sorrow, they stood anchored in the hope that is our God.
Sawyer’s life will impact thousands of people, because the impact he had on two people. When broken before God, his life was multiplied, blessed by the Almighty and scattered among the masses. Just as a young boy gave Jesus his fish and bread, a couple gave their child unto the Lord. The fish and loaves, when broken and blessed multiplied into such an abundance that every one was filled and there was abundance leftover.
Gospel Math doesn’t often make sense this side of heaven. That God would break before He blesses; but what I have learned is that the blessing is always multiplied more ways than we can fathom. If Jesus hadn’t broken the loaves and fishes there would have only been enough to feed a few people, but when He broke it and blessed it, it became multiplied in abundance.
In the sorrow of right now, the heartache and pain can feel overwhelming. When tears abound, it’s hard to clear the lenses of our hearts to see His mighty hand. So we return to what we know from His word. Jesus never lets anything go to waste! {John 6:1-15}
No sorrow, pain, grief or storm of this life is wasted.
Sweet Sawyer, I will weave together the fibers of my rope to the anchor of Christ. I will build my faith in the darkness, so when sorrow storms into my path, I can remain firm in the anchor of Christ. Enjoy the greatness of your reward sweet one, you did your work on Earth well.
