Strength in the Storm
By Jeannine Sawall
“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10
Between the years 1987-1991, the Biosphere 2 was constructed in Oracle, Arizona. This structure was a 3.14-acre enclosure built to be an artificial, materially-closed copy of the earth. The purpose of the structure was to study the interactions between the complex systems that exist on earth. It included five areas based on natural types of climates and geography, as well as an agricultural area and a human living/working space to study the interactions between humans, farming and technology with the rest of nature.
The experiments they conducted while the biosphere was in place occurred over several years. Some of the results were exactly what they expected, however, some of the conditions that began to be problematic were surprising. One of the problems that cropped up was with the trees. While the Biosphere 2 mimicked the earth’s geography, it could not produce the natural variations that occur in the earth’s weather. The trees grew branches that while perfectly tall and straight, began to snap and break off. This weakness was caused by lack of stress wood. Because the growing conditions inside the biosphere were climatically perfect, the normal stress created by the twisting and turning storms that winds create, were absent. Because they experienced no storms, the branches grew, but, while looking picture perfect, did not develop the strength needed to carry their load. While growing in perfection created a tree that was pleasing to the eye, it had no depth of strength. (1)
We might hope life held more perfection and less stress at times, but we need to understand, it is during the storms in our lives that we learn where our inner strength comes from - - from the Lord above. It is when it seems the winds and the waves will overcome us, we learn not to depend on feelings, because they are not indicators of truth, but to depend on the Truth of God to sustain us. It is during these storm-tossed days we learn the character of God and who He really is.
While storms are not fun, they are necessary to grow trees that are strong and mighty, and they are necessary to grow women of God who are strong and mighty, as well.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you going through a storm in your life? Ask the Lord to help you through it and to give His strength in the midst of it.
FURTHER READING:
Isaiah 40:29; Exodus 15:2; Philippians 4:13
Jeannine is a wife and active mother of four boys. She works in property management and is a part of the Special Events team for Oakwood’s We Women ministries.
(1) James Danoff-Burg, The Determiners of Climate, http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/seeu/bio2/restrict/modules/module09_content.html, (12/11)
