I co-parent teenagers. The daily dilemmas, disputes and doldrums can leave any parent feeling pretty defeated by day’s end. If I don’t carve out time to remember who He is and who I am in the midst of my week, the frequent storms will wear me down.

Together, let’s take time this week to recount a few basic yet extraordinary truths to help us stay emotionally and spiritually afloat as we cling to Him in the midst of the mundane and marvelous tasks of the day before us.

“You are not alone.”

They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support [my stay]. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18:18-19

I still remember when Hurricane David came through Florida in 1979.This category 5 hurricane ravaged the Dominican Republic and was forecast to come through my town. Schools closed for two days and everyone began to prepare for the worst. My mother told my sisters and me to hide in the bathroom if she prompted us. To soothe ourselves, we loaded the bathroom with a few of our favorite things-pillows, blankets and of course, our beloved stuffed animals. We ended up playing in there for hours until suddenly we could hear the rain pelting against the roof and windows. Filled with fear I called for my mother, but she would not respond.

Even now when trouble comes my way, it sure is easy to hide, create barriers or distractions to cope with the feelings of angst that won’t subside. I replace pillows, stuffed animals or the comfort of a parent with food, books, music, media or a million other things that might temporarily soothe me. But like the storm I faced as a kid, I know I need something much bigger than myself to bring lasting comfort in life’s storms.

In Psalm 18:18-19, David looks back at his life and praises the Lord for the way he supported him in times of trouble. The Expanded Bible translates the phrase “the Lord was my support” as “the Lord was my stay.” God stays with us in the midst of our calamity. We are not alone. And in His perfect timing, He will deliver us to the “spacious place.” He does this, my friend, simply because He loves you and always cares for His own.

Jackie