“Whatcha thinking for dinner?” This was the topic of conversation between Chuck and I about 4:30pm on Friday afternoon. I told him that I was up for almost anything, but didn’t want to wait until 7pm to eat. Which was a strange comment because we rarely eat that late anyway….

Our Friday night meal requirement is something easy that includes little to no cooking. Many Fridays, we will order a simple takeout meal or head out for something quick and casual.

Last night, we settled on riding our bikes up to a taco stand near our home. It’s a small taco truck that is parked in an industrial park that we ride our bikes through quite often. The people are so kind and the tacos are authentic, street style.

It felt a little breezy and the sky was a bit gray, but the tacos must have been calling us because we didn’t think much of the weather as we all hopped on our bikes for our ride and dinner.

The ride there is only about 5 minutes, and the evening was so nice. As we pulled in and parked our bikes, it started to sprinkle. They have a few covered tables, so no worries. We would eat, and then head home after the rain. I was getting pretty wet as I stood in the rain and ordered dinner.

As I sat down with the kids and Chuck, the rain started pouring down. I looked around at the four tables, and the one we were at was the driest of them all. We thought we picked our table well and so we stayed put. The kids were starting to fuss a little about the rain. They were getting wet from the mist as the wind blew.

Then, as the rain picked up, the wind really started blowing in. Our dry table was no longer dry. And as the rain poured down, Nia started to cry. Bentley started to cry. Brycen kept saying that we needed to go home.

The problem was… we couldn’t go home. We were on our bikes, so to leave would mean that we would be driving through it. And even though we were all getting wet at this point, the tent offering some covering.

We stayed all huddled up under the tent while the rain came in sheets with wind whipping it right into us. Chuck and I kept assuring the kids that they were safe, and we were all fine just wet. They were not buying our calm reassurance. But there was simply nothing we could do, but sit there in the rain with the kiddos in our laps and just endure the wind and the pounding rain. There was nowhere to go, but to wait it out.

After about 20 minutes, the rain stopped coming down in torrents and just became normal rain. The people that run the taco truck had packaged up all of our food to go. There was no staying to eat. We were soaked, the tables were soaked, and our feet were in mud puddles.

The owners were so kind to come over and apologize, which they didn’t have to, because they didn’t make it rain of course! But, I could tell they felt bad for this soaked crew that still had to go home in the rain… They gave the kids fresh fruit cups to eat as we sat the last few minutes.

We packed up soaked to our underwear and headed home.

As we drove away, it looked so peaceful and calm even though minutes earlier a storm raged through.

The kids were not super happy, but as we rode, their spirits lightened.

As soon as we got home, they raced for hot bubble baths while I made a pot of rice to go with dinner. As I pulled the rice off the stove, I laughed as I saw the time. It was 7:11! So much for not wanting a 7pm dinner. 🙂

We all got into jammies and ate street tacos from our dining room table.

The best part….. the kids fell asleep talking about how much fun they had getting stuck in the rain.

This got me thinking about how the storms of life are similar. Sometimes, we have to just hunker down and sit through the wind and the pelting rain. Jesus is there holding us like I held my kiddos. He has His arms around us taking the brunt of the storm like Chuck and I did for our babies. Yet, they still got some rain on them, and they still experienced the storm. We never let go of them, and we never stopped assuring them that they would be okay. And when the whole storm had passed, they could look in hindsight and see some of the good parts that stuck out.

There are many storms that Jesus and I have endured together. And I’m sure that because of Him, I didn’t experience the full force of the storm. I can also look back and see the silver linings that came from stormy seasons in my life.

The Lord is good in all seasons and through all things! He promises in His Word to never ever leave us and never forsake us. You can cling to Him in the storm, and He will hold you tightly and firmly so that you will not fall.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your loving Arms holding us and walking with us through the darkest valleys. You are such a protective Father God. Teach us to lean into You and recieve the covering You have for us. In Jesus’s name, Amen.