Want to know something about me? No, you don’t actually have a choice; I sleep through thunderstorms. I mean, soundly, too. In fact, the harsher the storm, the more sound I sleep.
As soon as the thunder claps, I’m fighting to keep my eyes open. If there’s lightning, just count me all the way out.
I’ve been asked numerous times how this is possible, as the storms around here are sometimes pretty fierce. I have gone to work many days and had co-workers question my calm in such raging storms because it caused their entire families to wake up and take cover.
I surely cannot explain this phenomenon (they make it seem that way). But I will say that I welcome a good thunderstorm; there is just something about a good sky rumble that lulls me to sleep LOL.
On the flip side, the slightest movement or sound will wake me. A door closing, a baby crying, a light being cut on, they all wake me like an alarm. And, if that isn’t bad enough, once it’s subsided, I can’t just go back to sleep. Nope, I could be up for hours before I can shut my eyes again, if at all.
Can We Really Sleep Through the Storm?
No, this isn’t all about sleep – it’s about life. I realized something. My sleeping through storms is synonymous with how I handle life situations. You see, big things, major problems – circumstances don’t rattle me. I welcome the chaos and take it in stride. For the most part, I am considered the calm one that helps to sort through the crazy to find the solution. The more pieces to the puzzle, the more comfortable I am. The louder the “thunderstorm” the more at ease my mind is.
On the other hand, the little things rattle my cage. The small mistakes I make, the “did I apologize?” or “did I offend someone close to me?” moments tear me up. It’s like the light being flipped on as I sleep that urgently wakes me.
Calm Your Faith
I was watching television one evening when God called this to my attention and let me know that it’s not His will for me to panic in any instance. And, even though I am calm during the big moments, I am failing to trust Him with the little things.
Well, enough about me, what about you? Do you sleep through the thunderstorms, but wake at a pin drop? Or, do those storms keep you up and trembling, but you sleep through the noise from the television or a light being flipped on? Maybe you’re like me and welcome the chaos. Or, maybe the little things roll off you “like water off a duck’s back.”
Side note: Who even coined that phrase and in what century? Mmmkay, I’m back.
Whatever the size of the problem that makes you crouch in a corner, God says to let Him handle them. He did not die for us to allow our world to be shaken by stuff that He can control.
So, What’s the Play Call?
We all have our vices, but God wants us to seek Him for help and sleep through the storm in His complete care. Here are a few things to keep in mind whether you are a “storm sleeper” or if you sleep right through the light flip:
- God will not let that storm take you out. When you allow Him to handle it, He can take complete control. “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55:22
- Fear is a trap. Fear keeps you in a place where you feel helpless and unreachable. Know that God is waiting for you to relinquish that fear so that He can save you from your troubles. “The fear of a man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Proverbs 29:25
- Tell God what bothers you. There are times when something gets to me in such a way that I don’t even want to bother anyone else with it. The thing about God is that He wants us to “bother” Him with it. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
- Check your thoughts. Often, our worry and panic begin with a simple thought that grows and then becomes a huge problem. Check your thoughts, make sure they line up with God’s word. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
- God is with you through the storm. Don’t be like the disciples that panicked in the storm and thought the Deliverer was asleep right there with them. “And they came to him, and awoke him saying, master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was calm.” Luke 8:24
Whatever gets you rattled awake, please remember that God can handle it and bring peace to your “sleep”. There is no need to worry.
