Last Monday evening we had some severe weather roll through our area. I was getting dinner ready and had told the kids to come inside from playing. My husband had gone out to run an errand and my phone started blowing up with people checking on us due to the storms. My town does not have weather sirens, but we can usually hear the sirens that are just a stone’s throw away. That evening my kids were carrying on so loud that I couldn’t hear them ring.

I noticed my dog acting a little restless. He kept pacing back and forth between the kitchen and my bedroom (which had the door closed). When the weather is bad, he (ironically) prefers to sit in my closet in the actual spot where I have my morning devotional and prayers until the storm clears out. After I saw him pacing, I opened the back door, and sure enough, the sirens were going off. “Let’s all get in the closet!” I yelled, with my dog leading the way.

We stayed in the closet for a little while. I checked the radars and warnings and deemed we were in the clear. My husband had come home and we were all starving. We headed into the kitchen to eat, and I noticed that Duke (the dog) didn’t join us. He came out for a minute or two and then headed back into the closet. This is alarming because usually our dinner time is his favorite time of the day. (I’m speaking on his behalf- he wouldn’t mind.) He likes to lay under the table and wait for things to be dropped (or handed) down to him. He’s at the perfect height to come and visually inspect the table once we’re done. As much as I joke about never missing a meal- he has literally never missed a meal. So, I was concerned that he felt the need to go back into the closet.

It did continue to rain. The storm got pretty loud and the wind did howl, but luckily we were fine. A few minutes after the last surge of rain/thunder/lightening, Duke came moseying out of the closet and checked the table like nothing happened.

I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a warning system like this in real life?” Just some visual cue that I’m about to walk into a spiritual storm. Many times I can see it in hindsight, but not in real time.

Jesus very plainly told us in John 16:33 that we will have trouble. So, why am I so surprised when the storm hits? I need my dog to warn me about these spiritual storms as well.

Luckily, we have a handbook for how to manage these storms. Romans 8:17 reminds us that since we are Christ’s heirs, we are heirs to His glory and His suffering. Thank God we have great chapters like Romans 8 to remind us of His power in our weakness. When we have relational conflicts, thank God that we have the 10 commandments to remind us how to treat others. Thank God that we have Hebrews 12 to remind us that God’s discipline proves that He loves us.

So if you are walking through a storm right now, don’t go in the closet and hide by yourself. Open up God’s word. Our pastor says that God speaks through an open Bible. Let His word nourish your heart. Open up to God’s community and let them hold the umbrella for you as you walk through the storm. You were not meant to walk this road alone.

~Shiney