Storms Don’t Last Forever

When you are parenting a child who has mental health issues or is fighting addiction it can sometimes feel as if there are never going to be any bright days ahead. The storm has closed in and all that you can see are the dark clouds and the lashing winds. But storms don’t last forever. They always pass over eventually.

That doesn’t mean that the illness is going away or that the addiction is going to be removed. It doesn’t even always mean that your child’s situation is going to improve at all. By God’s strength, you can overcome even if your child doesn’t. On the other hand, you can also choose to stay in the dark even after the storm is past. Much like it might take some time before we recognize the power has been restored following an outage if the lights are off in the house, we can live in the dark longer than necessary. But, no matter the situation, we don’t have to stay in the darkness.

The storm our family faced with mental illness was long and very dark at times. There were months at a time where it was hard to imagine a future that looked even partly cloudy. During the times our son spoke no more than a few words in the day, couldn’t properly hold his utensils to eat or cup to drink, or couldn’t open his mouth – those times and others made a bright future look impossible for him or for us.

But, even when we had no hope for anything but grey skies, our God was right there. My journal is filled with these words:“God, just give me strength for today.” One day at a time we made it through those challenging months and years. Today, there is sunshine. Praise God!

Your story may not be the same. Our story may change. I am fully aware that my son’s stories are not fully written, just as mine is not. Even today, we have moments from time to time where the skies cloud up and the rains drench. But, they are short-lived now. And I know there are times when the sun has come back out following one of those short storms and yet I am still cowering under the covers in fear. I am still learning, too.

But one of the most important pieces I am learning is that just because there is a storm in a child’s life doesn’t mean that I cannot bask in God’s sunshine. I do not have to be stuck in darkness just because one of my sons relapses or because he has a bad day.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to find joy in the midst of some of these times. By no means am I saying, “just trust God and everything is going to be fine!”

Your pain is not a reflection of your trust in God or your love for Him. Neither is it a reflection of His love for you!

Sometimes we just need to know that everything is going to be alright. Yes, it is.

The storm WILL pass!

Just keep trusting. Just keep praying. Just keep leaning on Him. Eventually, the storm will pass or you will learn to find the ray of sunshine even in its midst. I see sunshine in the forecast!