Into the Storm on the 4th of July

Greer Az. It was the trip we had wanted to do since we moved here. An opening became available on the weekend of the 4th of July. The plan was to go in Pearl, my new used car but, her transmission went out so we went in Chili, Kev’s red truck. I had a feeling we were supposed to go in a truck, not a small car. Kev was finally going to go fly fishing. Like any trip the expectations may be much different than the real trip. And this was no exception. The weather predicted some rain, maybe even a few thunderstorms. With the squelching heat in Phx that sounded wonderful. Well, the drive up there was an adventure. After many hours, a slight miss of a road here and there we finally arrived at Greer Resort & Cabins. If we had driven a few more minutes we would have missed Greer altogether! To say we were a little disappointed would be an understatement. However, the cabin itself was more than we had hoped. Immediately after settling in we went to the back of the property where the “ little Colorado “ was. They got the name correct when they said “little”. But, Kev was looking forward to it anyway. . Unfortunately his bait was no where to be found. Ugh…And then we heard the noise. It was thunder. And then lightening. And then the rain. Now, that could have been a great disappointment on a fishing trip. But it was amazing. Kev & I sat on our porch and watched the thunderstorm come in. The coolness of the rain, the smell of nature being cleasned, the ducks fluffing their feathers in the pond, and the kids running around screaming with great delight. That night Kev & I slept the best we had in a long, long time. In the morning the colors of nature were brilliant and vivid. But another thunderstorm was coming. We took our 4th of July picture and shortly afterwards the storm came. Only this time it was bigger, longer, and more spectacular. Mother Nature had her own 4th of July extravaganza to show us. Into the storm…although it could be scary, it brought new growth of beauty and hope. I thought about the significance of this with our own country. This 4th seemed very different. America is different, we are different… the storms of 2020 continue to linger, making some wonder what our nation will become in the future. What I experienced in Greer Az this weekend , in and thru the storms, is that they do end, and with God in charge, it brings hope and peace…a beauty that could only be seen because of the storms. May your hearts be filled with high expectations of what God has for America..what God has for your future in Jesus.