Surviving Life’s Storms: Lessons from Hurricanes and Heartaches

A square red flag flutters from a coastal rooftop. Its inner black square screams, “A storm is coming.”

What do you do when a storm comes?

In recent news, Hurricanes Helene and Milton tore up more than landscape. It tore through lives, leaving the debris of dreams and futures in rubble.

Our family lived 20 miles from Galveston, Texas for 17 years. Storms threatened, and some roared through our town. I had to educate myself about storms to prepare for them.

But storms don’t always contain wind, water, and tides. Some are gales that sweep through souls and leave havoc in their wake.

A notice of delinquency from a lender tramples sleep.

A CAT scan with a shadow asks, “How much time?”

A new job or retirement forces foreign circumstances.

Or you come to a time when you ask of your life, “Is this all there is?”

Large or small, storms rattle our spiritual windows.

In my “storm education,” I learned three lessons about encountering the storms of life.

Foresight

When authorities ran up the hurricane flag, it was time to get busy.

When we moved into a new house, it meant a lot of preparation. I bought overpriced sheets of plywood, ate up a dozen saw blades, and hammered in lead anchors in window sides. The lumber slapped up against windows kept debris from becoming missiles of destruction.

Inside I took pictures of all the contents so that, in the worst, I could prove what was in the house. We filled bathtubs with water for need if we had no water.

But you always prepare before the storm’s arrival. Once it is there, it is too late. It is better to prepare for a storm that never comes than to suffer unneeded destruction.

In life, we spend days getting ready for a terrible day. We learn scripture to give us spiritual stockpiles of strength. Money saved prevents stress in the future. Having your life in order is worth everything when circumstances are in disorder.

What do you need to do so you are ready if life tumbles in?

Decide

The times we left our home were stressful. We had a small car so we could not pack much more than essentials.

I told my family each person could take one thing. My youngest daughter slept with a tent over her bed. She took the tent. My older daughter had a favorite doll that she cradled. My wife insisted on taking professional portraits of our kids. I was the practical one. I packed a briefcase with the checkbook and insurance papers if needed.

In a storm, you ask a simple question…what is the most important thing to me right now? What’s the next physical step I need to take?

If hungry, eat. You are worth little if you are “hangry.”

If tired, take a nap or get a good night’s sleep. You require its mental clarity.

If confused, call someone who can give you perspective.

Worry is worthless. Action dispels it. Do what is most important in your life right now?

Listen

When a storm is coming, emergency management services issue advisories. If told to evacuate, pack your car and get out. Time is of the essence. Traffic will build and crawl. A five-hour trip sometimes would take a dozen.

I knew of people who “rode it out.” The sheriff said, “Write your name in permanent ink on your forehead. That way we can identify your body.” And many hardheads lost their lives.

People who know are vital. Make a list of people you can ask for counsel. They may tell you difficult things, such as downsizing your home. Do not ignore a doctor who recommends a treatment. (While they are not infallible, they know more than I do.)

But then…listen to them. Trusted advice is golden.  Don’t dismiss those who have endured life’s storms themselves because they know a way that you don’t.

A worker planted a Callery pear tree near Building 5 of the World Trade Center. White blossoms announced spring in the shadow of the glass giants.

In 2001, the terrorist attacks brought down the buildings. Though smashed between blocks of concrete and charred by fire, a single green branch remained.

In 2010, a gale tore it from the ground, but workers replanted it.

But a year later, the survivors of 9/11 tied blue ribbons to its branches.

If a tree can survive a storm, why can’t you?