Yet in the midst of the storm that hit as suddenly and fiercely as a devastating tornado, I experienced an unprecedented peace – and joy! As I prayed with my son, Jonathan, on the telephone during the initial conversation, I was able to praise God for His divine purpose for Jonathan’s life, even if it included cancer. Although we were caught by surprise, we knew God had known about the cancer since before Jonathan’s birth. We knew also that Jonathan had been prayed for before his conception, every day of my pregnancy, and every day of his life. He had been born again as a child, and now, as a young adult, was in God’s will as far as he understood it. Therefore we had every confidence that this suffering would be for Jonathan’s good and God’s glory. We knew God had a plan for Jonathan’s life, and this was part of it all.

The first doctor’s diagnosis was confirmed by a specialist. Within a week of the first diagnosis, and just four weeks before his wedding, our twenty-eight-year-old son underwent successful surgery to remove a malignant tumour. With the recommended follow-up treatments of radiation, the prognosis of total recovery has been excellent.

What storm of suffering has swept into your life? The storm of death? divorce? disease? debt?

Has a feud erupted in your family?
A betrayal in your marriage?
A rebellion to your parenting?
The miscarriage of a pregnancy?
A severance from a job?
How have you reacted to the storm?

A turkey and eagle react in different ways to the threat of a storm. A turkey reacts by running under the barn, hoping the storm won’t come near it. On the other hand, an eagle leaves the security of its nest and spreads its wings to ride the air currents of the approaching storm, knowing the wind will carry it higher in the sky than it could soar on its own. So which are you – a turkey or an eagle – in the way you react to the storms of life?

Within a period of eighteen months, my family experienced one storm after another. From Hurricane Fran, which downed 102 trees in our yard to the fire that consumed my husband’s dental office, to the weddings of all three of our children, to Jonathan’s cancer and surgery, we have reeled from one emergency or crisis to another. In the whirlwind, I have discovered I am an emotional turkey. I want to withdraw from the emotional pain and burdensome demands and frenzied activities and unending responsibilities. I want to run under the barn with my wings over my head and hide from friends and family who feel ignored or slighted, misunderstanding my busyness and preoccupation as indifference or arrogance. I want to escape the hurt.

Yet I have chosen to be an eagle in my spirit. And in the midst of the storm, when I have spread my wings of faith to embrace the "Wind," placing my dependency upon Jesus and Jesus alone, I have experienced quiet, "everyday" miracles;

His joy has balanced the pain,
His power has lifted the burden,
His peace has calmed the worries,
and His all-sufficiency has been more than adequate to meet all my responsibilities.

Soaring has become an adventure of discovering just how faithful He can be when I am way out of my comfort zone in the stratosphere over the storm. In fact, soaring has become so exhilarating that I increasingly find I am no longer content to live in the barnyard of familiarity just for its relative security. I want to live by faith! And I imagine a smile of infinite tenderness on His face as the angels in heaven applaud, saying, "Anne, you’ve finally got it. Now you’re beginning to understand."

And to a greater degree than ever before, I do understand. Looking back over that eighteen-month period, my thoughtful, confident conclusion is that these storms of suffering have increased and intensified in my life because Jesus wanted me to soar higher in my relationship with Him

to fall deeper in love with Him,
to grow stronger in my faith in Him,
to be more consistent in my walk with Him,
to bear more fruit in my service to Him,
to draw closer to His heart,
to keep my focus on His face,
to live for His glory alone!

This growth in depth and strength and consistency and fruitfulness and ultimately in Christlikeness is only possible when the winds of life are contrary to personal comfort. Just as storms make it possible for eagles to soar, so suffering makes it possible for you and me to attain the highest pinnacles in the Christian life. Suffering develops our faith.

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