Hope Through The Storm

My daughter likes to create pictures on the computer and show them to me when I get in from work.  She's got quite the collection going!  Circa 1978, I recall proudly presenting artist's renditions to my mother.  My drawings may have been more clear had I colored during a seizure.  Color inside the lines?  Nah, you can keep your lines!  Not only won't I color inside of them, I won't even be near them.  Though she tried her best to decipher what it was I was drawing, Mom never really put the "X" on the board.

Mom:  "oh!" ...insert slight head tilt and eye squint... "that's a pretty cow!"
Me:  ...insert annoyed face... "um...it's a race car, Mommy" 

In any case, my daughter also creates titles for each picture she does.  This one is called "Hope Through The Storm".  I had to know exactly what she meant by that, so I inquired.  She said, and I quote, "when life brings us rain, we have to hold onto the Lord's promises, because He is our hope and salvation."

As I wiped the look of duh off my face, I let that sink in just a bit more.  Where did this kid come from and is she really a product of...me?  I'm thinking of calling Maury.  But I was there, I remember!

We've all got our own storms, right?  Mine come in many forms.  The obvious...ms.  It's always there.  Just a matter of how heavy...like is it intermittent wiper mist or "holy crap" wiper setting, where the wipers are nearly flying off their arms and the car is rocking side to side when sitting still.  Eh, maybe somewhere in between.

In the mind of a child, it's all very simple.  Yes, it will rain.  But our hope is found in the Lord, no matter the circumstances.

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

We can look for hope in all sorts of places.  I'll tell you where hope is not...it's not at the bottom of an empty bottle.  Even if it's a really pretty bottle, because hey, some are!  I'm getting a little too philosophical for my own good, and I apologize in advance, but I'd say that addiction is nothing more than a huge distraction.  The distraction from hope and trust in the Lord. 
 
Some people say they'd curl up in a ball if they were told they had ms.  Or that they'd become an alcoholic and drink through it.  Or insert other negative response.  Curling up in a ball...yeah, I've done that, I'll be honest here.  Usually, it was because I was so sore and spastic that it hurt to stretch out.  And I've had other negative responses when it was just me, myself, and I.  But when it was all said and done, I felt worse from top to bottom.  There was hope at the center of every flare and every pseudo-exacerbation, I just didn't always see it at the time.  Too busy in a ball, being distracted.  I missed how family and friends cared for me, how they prepared meals for my family, and how Mom and my grandmother cleaned the house for me.  There are blessings in everything, even the worst of things. 
 
No matter the storm, there is always that hope.  I'll keep the visual of my daughter's picture in my mind when I become short-sighted and notice myself curling up, 'cause that'll happen.  All my Mom had to reflect on was...Crayola Hell.  But I have a cloud, a rainbow, and the little face of a beautiful child, reminding me that God is as close as we allow Him to be:-)