The smiling daughter of the storm

There was a little girl who walked to and from school every day. One day, though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she set out on her daily trek to the elementary school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. Her mother was concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.

Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming sword, was cutting through the sky. Concerned, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile at the sky.

Another and another flash of lighning followed and with each the little girl would look up at the streak of light and smile. The mother pulled her car up beside the child, and she lowered the window and called to her, "What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?"

The little girl answered, "I am trying to look pretty! God keeps taking my picture."

We all have storms, and  so many of us keeping asking the why question -  "why me Lord " or "What have I done to deserve such?" or "when will all this brokeness end" or "why is it thats its only my marriage not working out" or "Why is my boss never understanding" or "how come I never get the right employees/maids" or "how come I cannot talk to my kids and they listen" or "why can't our parents understand?" or "why is it that I never get to be in a good relationship - why do I always get the bad guys/gals"  or "Why is that my business is not picking up??" " why? why?  why?"The list is endless.

The little girl had a choice, to either be like most of us would have been -  frightened and afraid or to smile to the ligtening and assume God was taking a picture of her. The choice is ours to make.

A friend of mine once told me to stop asking the why and to start enjoying the ride - for indeed life is not about avoiding the storm but learning how to dance in the rain. I will continue dancing in the rain - skidding in the mud, soiling my hands everytime I touch the ground, but will sure get up everytime I fall,  wash my hands clean in the rain and continue forward enjoying  the ride.

And like the birds, once the storm is over, we shall sing, rejoice and be glad that we made it through the storm.

Wishing you Sunshine and Blessings.