Lifting hands in the storm!

I'm inspired by an article I re-read today; it was from years ago but applies powerfully to the ever-changing storms of life in 2020, this crazy Covid year. The writer was onboard an Atlanta-bound flight from Florida and was 'scared silent' like most of the other passengers as their plane descended through sudden menacing thunderheads. The airliner began to shake as lightning exploded all around it. Suddenly a chorus of squeals came from a family of three children up front. They and their parents were returning from a visit to Disney World. Now they had their hands in the air like passengers on a roller coaster at the top of the ramp, ready to enjoy the rush of free fall. The plane took another dip and the children squealed again with unmistakable pleasure. Passengers began exchanging amused comments. "Even the pale man next to me smiled," the writer remembered. "As we continued to go through the choppy air, rolling and dipping, I didn't feel as anxious and scared. Finally dots of lights appeared below. We had broken through the clouds."

The article concluded, "As we taxied to the gate, I was thankful for the three children who had helped a planeload of adults make it through the storm. I wished that I had been wise and trusting enough to throw my hands up into the air instead of gripping the armrest for dear life during the turbulence." And later, "I strode through the terminal, hoping to remember that the next time life went 'bump,' to throw up my hands to God and enjoy the ride."

Now I don't know what kinds of bumps your life is going through right now. I don't know the sudden changes that COVID-19 and its related stormy conditions are bringing to your situation. I don't know the dark clouds that may be menacing your 'flight.' But I know that the Psalmist David was obviously in the midst of a terribly stormy season when he wrote Psalm 63. Yet he exclaimed in verse 4, "So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands." May our God, the Creator of the universe, create in each of us a contagious joy as we ride the unexpected turbulence of 2020. Rather than gripping the armrest in fear, let's lift our hands in praise to God--and..."enjoy the ride!"