Storm Chasers

One of my favorite shows is Storm Chasers. Wouldn't it be great to spend your time hunting down tornadoes? Some of the chasers use only a laptop and a cheap video recorder. They track down these killer storms, getting as close as possible to get that one amazing shot. I particularly enjoy the scenes where the wind is howling, the hail is slamming down around them and the lightning suddenly crashes in next to them. That's when they realize they've got to get out of there.

Do you ever feel like a storm chaser in life? Truly we are blessed to live in such a prosperous nation. Even in the midst of a poor economy, most of us have more than we need. We certainly have more than the majority of people in the world. The baffling thing is that it often seems like an uphill battle. Have you ever been to a point like the storm chaser who realizes he is too close and has to get out of there?

This really is a normal part of the world we live in. Our work, though a blessing, can be a struggle. The ever increasing expense of life takes more and more of the little we earn, yet the commercialzed world we live in continues to demand more. We spend our time chasing dreams but never catching them, and seeking acheivements, but rarely reaching them. At some point we realize we are trapped, slaves to the world we live in. It's time to get out.

So, how do we get out of the way of the storm? Here are three really good ideas:

1. Redefine Your Treasure
If you feel exhausted, stuck on a treadmill, or like you're about to swept away by the storm, maybe you have treasured the wrong things. Cast everything else away and put all of your trust in the giver of the blessings as opposed to the blessings themselves.

“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. (Matthew 6:19-22 NET)

2. Stop Worrying
Worry is toxic. It takes the energy you need to actually live life and keeps you spinning your wheels in a slough of faithless fear. Mark Twain once said, "I have spent most of my life worrying about things that never happened," This is so true and so unfortunate. We actually, waste precious moments and opportunities in fear of something that probably won't happen.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27 NET)

3. Step Out in Faith
Don't sit on the sidelines any longer. We are not called to be bench warmers for Jesus. Our faith is not shown by going to church on Sundays. It is shown when we live it out daily. Tell someone what Christ has done for you. Show loving kindness to someone in need. When you step out in faith, forgetting your goals and dreams, God will lift you up. As you grow closer to him, I believe your goals and dreams will change as they align with His for your life.

It's time to stop chasing storms and start chasing Christ!

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. (James 2:14-18 NET)