Caught in a Storm

Story

Have you ever thought about how your house stays warm in the winter? You probably just push a button and a gas furnace turns on and heats the house. @ When I was a teenager, however, things weren’t so simple.

Our house had wood heat. So, every summer we’d have to go into the forest and cut down trees for firewood. We would cut a lot of wood over the course of several Sundays.

@ To get the wood, we drove our old truck into the mountains and followed some bumpy dirt roads for over a mile until we got to the designated woodcutting area. @ Once we arrived, my dad would use his chainsaw to cut down trees and cut them into small-enough pieces. Then, the rest of the family would stack the wood in the truck.

@ We’d work all day until the wood in the truck was piled much higher than the roof of the truck. Then, we’d slowly and carefully drive back up the dirt road and go home. It would take two or three such days to get enough wood to last all winter.

One time, my dad, my (younger) brother, and I were on our way to cut wood. We got to the location and had just started to cut wood when it started to rain. It wasn’t a little rain. It was a huge thunderstorm that turned all the dirt—including the road—into thick, slippery mud. We wanted to go home, but we couldn’t. You see, an empty pickup truck is heavy in the front and light in the back. And since the truck was a rear wheel drive, we wouldn’t be able to get any traction in the mud unless we had a full load in the back. So, we had to work in the rain.

By the time we finished cutting wood, we were tired and completely wet. There wasn’t a dry area on our bodies. We piled into the truck to begin the slow and difficult journey home.

The road had deep ruts, and to keep from getting stuck, my dad had to make sure that we didn’t fall into one. But the truck was now much heavier in the back than the front, so it was hard to steer it on the slippery mud of the road. @ Before long, the wheels slipped into the ruts and the truck sank up to the axles in the mud. We were stuck.

We didn’t have a cellphone, so we had to hike more than a mile in the rain to get out of the woods. Once we got to the main road, we found the closest house and asked to use their phone to call my mom to come and get us. It was a terrible experience.

Because the storm marked the start of the monsoon season, it was a month before the road dried out enough for us to go back and get the truck.

Application

@ The Bible tells us of a time when Jesus and his disciples faced a storm. They were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a big storm came up. There was a lot of wind, rain, and waves, and the disciples were afraid that they would drown. But Jesus was in the boat, asleep. They woke Him up. Then, he said to the storm, “Be quiet!” Immediately, the storm stopped.

Jesus is able to stop storms, and He is able to help us with our problems. Next time you’re afraid or have some other problem, remember that.