It is an odd thing in life how quickly things can change. You think you have everything figured out and suddenly the world goes topsy-turvy. In these days of the Covid pandemic, these changes are felt even more acutely. We are continuously making changes and trying to adjust to a new way of living.
I have always loved the quote by Henry David Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
When people envision following their dreams, they look into a sea of possibilities. There is a light wind, and the sun is shining brightly. There are no dark storm clouds. There are no ominous waves threatening to overturn their ship of dreams.
But in life, no matter how well we adjust the sails, the turbulent times come. Storms take their toll on the little vessel set out to sea, tossed about and battered. We plan the journey, but life takes a turn we did not count on.
The one good thing about storms is that they do subside. The sun comes out again. Just beyond those menacing storm clouds, a blue sky is waiting…
It can be very hard to wait for the return of a blue sky when the rain is pouring down and you are not sure what to do next. You are wet. You are tired. This is not the boat trip you planned. And still, the rain keeps falling, dripping down the back of your neck, and you are soaked through and through. It is almost enough that you might think of giving up on those dreams altogether.
It is in these very moments that a great deal of soul-searching for answers is done; you realize that you must trust God with the details of the weather. It is simply your job to hold on and keep the faith.
In the deepest, darkest moments, God is always there. He is the lighthouse we seek in the midst of a turbulent and unforgiving sea. He knows. He understands. It is this very One who tames the wind and the waves. (Mark 4: 35-41)
It is not easy to hold on and let the storms of life take their course. Unfortunately, we are often not in charge of any given storm. We must be patient. We must persevere. And furthermore, we must allow ourselves to dream a new dream when our hopes are dashed, our course redirected by heavy winds.
The good news is that sometimes, we have to plot an altogether new course. This new course might be a great excursion…even better than the one we planned originally. We discover new things about ourselves and others that we never knew before. We discover that we are resilient and strong. We discover that God has led us safely through the storm.
We are always changed by our encounter with the wind, rain, and fog of life. Perhaps, the fog is the most difficult of all…the not knowing what lies ahead, the danger we may not see clearly.
How blessed we are that God is at our side even before the first raindrop or teardrop falls. How blessed we are that our God can turn even the most treacherous storm into a blue sky day. How blessed we are that the ‘fog’ of not seeing clearly has been lifted from our eyes.
As scripture promises, “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) And so it is…we begin again, we make a fresh start. We live the life only God could have imagined for us. There is no storm that can separate us from His love. There is only His outreached hand, guiding us, leading us, into the blue sky of a new day, a new life in Him.
A comforting reflection for these uncertain times. Thank you.
The times are not easy…we are perpetually in a flux of change. I think we are learning to live in new ways…Through it all, God is with us. 🙂 May that knowledge guide us and inspire us to live life to the fullest, right here, right now.
Amen. We only have the one life.
It is a life full of wonderful things…God likes to surprise us with dreams we never could imagine on our own. He dreams BIG dreams. We need to believe that as well. 🙂
🙂
I have this quote on the table next to my computer: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” I agree life can change quickly and our ability to balance these transitions are put to the test. But there is always faith and hope – and of course love, the greatest of all.
It is a wonderful quote. I have it in my kitchen on a banner, so I see it every day. It always inspires me. The banner has little sailing ships…It always makes me think that life is a grand adventure. Change can be so hard at times, but it also opens doors to new beginnings. I love your comment about faith, hope, and love. These are the ingredients for life that God wants us to have.
wise words shared in a great analogy, thanks Linda!
🙂 🙂 🙂 Glad you are out there in the sea of life, although we are on distant shores…Strange how the grains of sand travel from place to place; in the end, we find the shores are not so very different at all. And we learn so much from one another…all the winds blowing across vast continents. We look up and it is the same blue sky above us, the same lovely moon that lights up the night.
yes, there are differences but so many more similarities, inclusion is the healer 🙂
Nice pic of you and who is the handsome chap?
The boys in the photos are my sons. I have three sons and one daughter. They are each so very different, and yet I have learned so much from all of them. (We do teach our children a great many things…but, they teach us so very much as well.)
nicely said, it is a two way street 🙂
handsome chaps!
It certainly is a two way street…so much to learn along the way! 🙂
nobody has written that book yet!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Love the pictures Linda and the message is so true. I have never sailed but those pictures make me want to do it sometime. I spend a lot of time in boats of various kinds. storms come fast. They do not wait for me to get ready either. I have ended up in freezing water from 3 different craft. I don’t recommend it.
I have never been in freezing water, but I have been in some pretty rough seas. The storms do come up so very fast…that is the scary part. In life, we go through many stormy seas as well. Somehow, with the help of God, we get through. When we look back and the water has become calm, we see how His hand held us in all those difficult times.
God is the one who makes change not only acceptable, but hopeful. Without him, life is far too scary!
That is so very true! 🙂 With God at the helm, we know we are guided day by day. We have hope to move forward, good times, or hard times.
You write so beautifully, Linda, and your heart sees deeply. Thank you for this reminder of how life is always changing yet how we can always depend on our Creator to uphold us and show us the future that can lie before us when we are ready!
I think God wants to open our eyes to all the possibilities in life. We see the storm. We see the conflicts. God teaches us to see with our hearts, to know there is so much more.
Linda you captured the emotions of the storm with your words and the hope we have in Jesus as we weather it. Thank you for such an encouraging post.
Thank God for our hope…He is there in every storm, every time.
Lovely post. I think about how a storm always “clears the air,” and I suppose that can be taken metaphorically as well as literally!
So true! We certainly see things differently once we have come through a storm. ‘Clearing the air’, is a good thing. It helps to put things in focus. It always feels a bit strange after a really bad storm, like a hurricane, and then the next day the sun is shining. Whatever storms we face in life, we welcome the light…we welcome a new day that God has given us to start over.
What a beautiful extended metaphor. And if not led into the shelter in this world, certainly in the next!
I have always loved the ocean. It too, is always changing…shifting tides, shifting sand. Like us, the sea is always evolving, becoming something new. But there is also the familiar ebb and flow, something we understand and accept.
Oh, wow, beautiful. I love the ocean, too. It’s mesmerizing. One of my favorite poems is Walt Whitman’s “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking.” He writes about the sea so beautifully, too.
I love Walt Whitman’s poetry! My favorite poem of the sea is by John Masefield, “Sea Fever”. I love the opening lines: “I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky…” When I was a young girl, I left the East coast to attend college in Indiana. It was beautiful there in many ways, but of course, at the age of seventeen I missed home. I had John Masefield’s poem on a plaque in my room…it was such a comfort. Like a song we know by heart, a poem can say so much.
Lovely photos. What I wouldn’t give to be sailing on a boat in the sun right now! You’re right, things can change so quickly. It’s not always a bad thing, either! x
You are exactly right…change can be a very good thing! :)( And being open to change is so very important.)
Seasons. So much to say. I have been, and am currently, going through rough seas I’m life. Sometimes, I admit to losing my grip on my faith during the tossing and uncertainty at hand. I need the, “peace, be still” each day. Thank you, Linda. God’s grip – Alan
Praying for you! You are never alone…God never lets go of His grip. Isaiah 43:1: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine.” We may drift in the sea of life at times, caught up in the currents, searching for a familiar shoreline. God never drifts from us in those hours, though we may feel lonely. Luke 12: 6-7: “His eye is on the sparrow…”
We are living in scary and uncertain times. I like the sea and wind metaphors. Your photos are beautiful!
Thank you! You are right… these pandemic days have not been easy. We have learned so much through it all. Hopefully, better days ahead! 🙂
You’re welcome! 😀