Facing the Storm... (rainbows and mud puddles).

My latest 'Come to Jesus' moment happened this past friday night... family date night. David and I have tried to make a habit of going 'out on the town' as a family on friday nights... especially when we're lacking in the babysitter department... (yes, I forgive you Reaghan Rickards and Lauren Anthony for having the audacity to make your own fabulous plans for the summer;)

The plan was to let the kids eat chic-fil-a in the car on the hour trip north to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg . My sister and brother were already there, so we decided to risk it, even though we knew  that we would have to travel through an awful storm that was heading directly through Williamsburg and south towards us. 

David got home a little early, I already had everything in order for the trip. Snacks, bottles, jammies for the ride home... I even had the house and back yard in order from a crazy day at home. This trip was looking like a success... except for the awful storm that stood between us and our fabulous family date destination.

So, David and I looked at the radar on the weather channel... and decided to take the risk. After all... our very first trip to Busch Gardens, last year, started out very similar. It poured rain the entire way there... then as soon as we pulled into the parking lot... the glorious heavens opened up! The rain had cleared the crowd out of the park. There were no lines. The temperature was perfect. And there was even a rainbow stretched across the entrance of the park as we frolicked in, hand in hand, with our perfectly behaved children. I even recall a few delicate butterflies escorting us to Elmo's world (Doodle's favorite part of the park).

So waiting in traffic on the way up didn't even discourage me. It was pouring rain. Thundering and lightening... the wind was howling... but somehow, I was still optimistic that the storm would pass and the whole event would work in our favor. I was even planning of how I would write my next blog post... 'facing the storm'. 

I would explain how difficult 'facing the storm' can be for me. With severe back issues for the past 14 years... storms have always been a source of pain and depression for me. I'm like an 80 year old woman when it comes to 'feeling a storm approaching'. My joints ache and the rods and screws in my spine tell me to curl up in bed with a bottle of Smirnoff (not that I do that). Not to mention being 33 weeks pregnant and chasing two little ones around... (well, three... if you count Evangeline's split personalities).

Those of you who know me well, know that I'm a homebody. I'm not a 'busy person' by nature. I could seriously stay home for a week, not talk to anyone (before kids), and be totally o.k. with it. But alas, that is what the christian life of 'dying to yourself' does to you. Before you know it, you find more pleasure when you stop being 'your natural self'... and try to keep up with an extraverted husband and curious kids. I still need my down time occasionally... but I've grown accustom to stepping out of my comfort zone. 

...and so off to Busch Gardens... in a thunderstorm... even though my nagging 'natural self' would prefer to be home, hiding under the covers until the storm has passed and more pleasant circumstances surround me.

So, about halfway to our destination... the traffic clears up and the storm is gone! We literally passed through the storm. What a great blog post this will be... facing the storm. Not just curling up in the fetal position and waiting for it to be over, but stepping boldly into it... knowing that the Lord has beautiful things for you on the other side. An empty amusement park, well behaved kids... rainbows and butterflies. 

"Oh... this is great stuff." I humorously congratulate myself.

Isn't it funny how we think we have God figured out sometimes?

So we pull off the interstate... and just like a scene from the 'Griswold's family vacation' or 'The Bernstein Bears look for a picnic spot'... the second we approach the entrance, with roller coasters and welcoming banners in the background... the sky turns pitch black, rain starts pouring down and flooding the parking, along with very dramatic thunder and lightening.

Doodle immediately starts crying for Elmo while explaining to Brotha "This is HORRIBLE! This is HORRIBLE! We no see Elmo!"

We weren't able to even catch up with Rebekah and Reed before they made their way out of the park and headed back home. So here we are, trapped in our van with hysterical children who have been in their car seats for nearly 2 hrs. and driving through random fast food places looking for an indoor playground to let the kids work out some energy before the trip back home. Of course, all 5 places we went by didn't have a play area... so we drove around Williamsburg like some crazy circus sideshow for the next half hour.

Eventually, the thunder and lightening died down... so we decided to stop in Colonial Williamsburg. The kids had to get out of the car, so... for lack of a better activity... they ran and splashed through puddles to burn some energy.

Naturally, one can't be that close to the TRELLIS without stepping in for a piece of overpriced DEATH BY CHOCOLATE cake. So Doodle went in to order it with me... which led to a much needed bathroom break... which led to an impromptu ballet lesson in the restroom due to the fabulous full length mirrors. 

We took the kids to the candy shoppe, then splashed in some more puddles as we roamed the empty streets... since we were the only ones crazy enough to be out there in the rain.

We sat in a bit more traffic on the way home, but who cares when you have a delicious piece of cake to eat? The kids were pretty good... and David and I even managed to squeeze a decent conversation in. We made it through the storm and even ended up having time as a family and wonderful memories to look back on. It wasn't the evening we anticipated. I would've never left the comfort of my own home to drive several hours and play in mud puddles, but what a beautiful memory it turned out to be.

Facing the storm doesn't come naturally. We all want to hide under the covers. But remembering God's faithfulness in the past makes it easier to face the current storms. I stepped into that storm because I remembered that glorious rainbow that was at the other side last summer.

But what happens when we make it through the storm... and we aren't met with rainbows and butterflies? When you make it through numerous spinal fusions, but are still in chronic pain? When you make it through the chemo but still have to deal with the life changing side effects? 

Well... sometimes God's glory is captured in a rainbow... but for us that day, it was captured in a few mud puddles.