Of all the things I have learned thus far, I think one of the most profound has been the Peace – the Calm that the Lord offers to those who follow Him.
I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father Is Aware of us and our life. He knows the chaos, the crises, and the break-neck speed of which our lives are filled. I know this because of answers I have received on this journey. I have seen situations that He has calmed that could have been devastating.
Also time and time again, received simple answers such as these:
“Enjoy a day with your family.”
“Life is busy, just keep going.”
“You have more than enough time.”
That last one was spoken to my heart and helped me stay calm in what could have been a very stressful experience for me. Let me share…
Ladies from my church were hosting a baby shower for a lady in our neighborhood and had invited me, though few of us even knew this beautiful lady. I had come up with an idea for a new cake to try, so I called the hostess and offered to bring an Orange Dreamcycle cake for the party. She accepted. And I was excited.
The day of the shower came. The cakes were made. All I had to do was assemble the layers and frost it, and I had 1 ¼ hours. … No problem, right?!
I went to work. I made whipped buttercream, then the orange whipped cream (ummm SO Good!). I had four layers of cake and had plenty of the orange filling. Things were going great. Time was ticking away.
— Then I ran out of buttercream. I ran out of buttercream and I only had two sides of the large rectangle cake frosted! Nothing for the top or the remaining two sides!
I looked at the clock. No time to make more buttercream! Panic marked my face. Then a peace filled my heart as the message that had filled me that morning returned. “You have more than enough time.” A calm enveloped me, and I could breathe.
I flung open the cupboards. Yeah! Frosting. I pulled out the tube and went to work.
— I ran out again. Still I stayed calm. I have more than enough time, I told myself.
I finished off the back side of my slightly leaning cake with the last couple spoonfuls of filling. Still I was calm. The clock said 12:37, and the party started at 12:30. I breathed. I have more than enough time.
Mark drove me to the party. I was calm the whole way. I wasn’t the first one there … but I wasn’t the last one either. So I was happy. And everyone raved about the cake! Wahoo.
Now normally my perfectionism would have taken over and I would have been a miserable wreck. I would have yelled at everybody in my path (mostly my poor, loving family), until I reached the party, and I would have rejected all the compliments offered because I would have only seen the faults. What a blessing that experience turned out to be!
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, including how and when. Often we cannot control what, where or when things happen to us. All we can control is how we react to them when they do. I know that a loving, powerful Father in Heaven watches over me to calm my storms. But more often – He calms me so the storm can roll on past – making me a better sailor in the future.
I pray for that same peace and calm to come to you. Sometimes He will calm your storms, but I pray that you will let Him calm you in the midst of your storms.
Many Loves!
Sunshine along the Way 