Last night I was working on homework…the kind that makes me question why I agreed to go back to grad school. The kind that reaffirms I must be crazy. It would be easy to grumpy when I’m working rather than reading a fun book or tackling one of the many projects lingering around the house. 

Then I stopped. What an ungrateful attitude.

I have friends watching their child battle a reoccurrence of cancer. Other friends long for the day their first home sells so they aren’t paying two mortgages. Others have children who are breaking the parents’ hearts by choices that aren’t honoring God. And I’ve walked the hard road of miscarriage.

You may have heard the Casting Crowns song Praise You in the Storm. In case you haven’t heard the song, I tried to find the authorized video with no success on Youtube. However, I did find dozens of non-authorized versions you can explore.

I remember singing this song through the Atlanta airport on a repeat loop because the storm in my life was landing my first book contract and being absolutely convinced the publishing company had made a mistake and everyone would figure it out quickly. Talk about a good storm! Life can be filled with wonderful storms. Too much work when you need it. Too many activities on the calendar no matter how you try to simplify. Maybe even too much time with your kiddos — yes, they are a huge blessing, but sometimes Momma needs a break. (Can I hear an amen?)

Maybe you’re in the midst of a good storm. Or maybe it’s a painful tsunami you’re trying to merely survive. Here are a few thoughts on how to more than survive them.

1) Turn on the praise music. Last night that meant going to Pandora.com and plugging in a radio station based on Francesca Battistelli’s Write Your Story. What great, worshipful music. It set the tone and made sure my attitude couldn’t plummet too far. When my heart is focused on heaven and on God through the power of music, it helps pull my thoughts away from the stress and strain. So many times, a song I heard on the radio or played on my phone will literally cycle through my mind all day, becoming a soundtrack to the day. It also helps change the mood in the house or car if the littles are bickering or attitudes are off a bit.

2) Call a good friend. Not the one who will tell you whatever you want to hear, but the one who will speak the truth in love. Sometimes I need someone to remind me that what I think is a gale force wind is really a stiff breeze. Sometimes I need someone to encourage me and speak Biblical truth. And sometimes I just need someone who will listen — with the safety of knowing my complaints and worries won’t go any farther than between the two of us and our Father’s throne. But there is something in speaking the words that helps the storm dim or the burden lessen.

3) Open scripture and see what God has to say about your situation. Often I know the truth, but in the midst of the storm, I lose sight of it. I need it plastered in front of me. During my miscarriages, I reminded myself of every truth that I could. That God was for me. That He has good plans for me. That what the enemy intended for evil the enemy would turn into good. And I asked God to show those good transformations to me this side of heaven. In the good storms, I have to remind myself that God has not called me to do something He won’t also equip me to do. That He has given me all I need. The list could go on. But I can only know that truth if I’m in the Word and finding the truth.

What would you add to this list?