Dear Pastor’s Wife,

I know that many of you share my love of nature- I’m continually in awe of God’s creation, and even more so now that we live on a beautiful farm.

The other night my husband and I were unwinding from the day by sitting on our front porch swing, watching a thunderstorm roll in. I’ve been fascinated by storms since I was a little girl, and then happily married a man who enjoys them just as much as I do. We sit in a good viewing spot (from a safe distance, of course) and watch and listen until the storm’s symptoms get too close for comfort. Then we retreat inside and watch it from the windows.

On this particular night, the wind gathered and rustled as thunder cleared its throat. The lightning flashed through the ominously dark clouds, and the rain pelted, leaving repeatedly disappearing circles on the surface of the pond.

We have a bevy of songbirds that reside here at the farm, and whenever it rains or storms, they disappear into their tree homes, silent until the sun breaks through again. But as we watched the storm hitting, a little surprise left us in awe-

A hummingbird emerged from a large pecan tree in our front yard, and came to the feeder to imbibe sweetness. We have three feeders hanging on the front porch, and what fun our hummingbirds are to watch! But coming out during a storm? This I had not seen before.

Soon after the first hummingbird sat down on his perch at the feeder, another came out of hiding and settled in at another feeder. Back and forth they went for the longest time, coming out to feed, then retreating into the tree.

As the storm intensified, it struck me how amazing it was that such a tiny bird would brave such roaring elements. It seemed that just one of those large drops of rain could knock her to the ground. Wouldn’t the lightning blind her? Wouldn’t the thunder scare her silly? Wouldn’t the  whipping wind swoop under and carry her away, far away from her nest?

She did not seem to notice the impending danger. She did not seem to mind the elements. She was after something specific- the sweetness on our porch, which was to her delight, still available for the drinking- even during a storm.

We eventually had to retreat inside as the storm became more intense. But the hummingbirds kept coming, kept drinking, kept darting out of hiding to get that sugary sweetness. It was worth any impending danger to get just one more sip.

I just couldn’t stop thinking about the parallels to the storms in our lives, and the sweetness of the Word of God. Maybe during storms we are tempted to cover our face and crouch in the corner until it passes. I know I sure feel like doing that. Someone just tell me when it’s safe to come out.

And in so doing, we often miss and even ignore the sweetness that is to be had at ALL times, even in the storm.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Psalm 19:10

I remember a few times in our life when ministry trials have been particularly brutal and lasted very long. Everything was uncertain, unfolding in such a way that I feared to think of what each  day might bring. It seemed the only way I could get through the day (the hour sometimes) was to keep my Bible open on the couch. When satan plagued my heart with fear throughout the day, I would literally drop what I was doing and RUN to the couch, where my Bible lay open to the Psalms. Suck in some sweetness. Return to the day at hand.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Sometimes the place that feels safe is actually the dark place where we are tempted to not trust, to not abide, to not love God.

Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

When we risk darting out of hiding to face the fear and suck in the sweetness of the Word, we are refreshed. Does it make the storm go away? No, not until God’s time of removal. But it sure does hep you get through one more moment, one more hour, one more day of pain and struggle.

Pleasant words [God’s!] are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24

Dear pastor’s wife, this isn’t earth shattering. I’m just a simple gal who likes to remind myself and others of the things that are right in front of us- the things that seem to elude us when we’re stressed or sad or hurting. Are you in the Word? Is it your life line? Are you daring to run out of hiding to drink the sweetness of God’s heart? If not, you can start today. It’s always there, prepared and ready for you to feast on.

Even during a raging storm.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8

Let’s be brave like hummingbirds and not let anything stop us from getting to that sweetness! Let’s devour the Word often- meditating, memorizing, tumbling it over in our heads and hearts.

It will always be worth it.

XOXO,

A Kindred Spirit

Hey pastor’s wife? We’re saving a seat for you this fall!