In the Eye of the Storm

One of my least favorite things is driving when it's raining really hard and you can't really see where you're going but you have to keep going cause there are a lot of people around you going the same speed and not ready to stop for you and if you were to stop you might get rushed off the road from the torrential rain... It stresses me out very much and I can honestly say that any time I'm in that situation I'm begging God to keep me safe as I drive blindly down the road getting more and more stressed out, and he does. 

There's this song called 'Eye of the Storm' by Ryan Stevenson that I have had on repeat for the past few days because it's exactly what I need right now. Here's how the chorus goes (I strongly suggest you listen to the whole song sometime); 

In the eye of the storm, you remain in control.

In the middle of the war, you guard my soul.

You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn.

Your Love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.

Every single one of us can listen to this and think of at least one moment in your life where you felt like you were in the eye of a storm and you needed an anchor. So where do you find your anchor? Is it in God? I've tried to make my anchor something besides God on multiple occasions and I can tell you that never worked out for me. I would learn on someone else, who also was going through a storm of their own, and expect them to be able to keep both of us above water. It wasn't fair to them and that made us both go under. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that God gave us each other to help us through those hard times and to encourage us and we should appreciate the people God puts in out lives, but they will never replace God, and we shouldn't try to make them replace God.

I'm reminded of the story in Matthew 8:23-27 when Jesus and his disciples when out in their boat and a furious storm came up. Jesus had fallen asleep in the boat and his disciples where really scared and woke Jesus and said, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Then verse 26 says; 'He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and waves, and it was completely calm.' Can you imagine being there and watching that happen and how amazing that would be? Here's the thing, if Jesus has control over the wind and the water and can stop a storm with his words, why do I stress about my job or my family or friends? If I belong to God why do I fear anything at all? I feel like God has to say to me a lot, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" How do you reply to that... "Well God, to tell you the truth I don't trust that you have control over what happens to me"...? When I actually write that out y'all are probably thinking, "Katelyn, we would never say that to God! Of course we trust that he has control!" Actually though, that is what we are saying when we are worried or doubting God.

 This morning as I was leaving my house it was the most beautiful sight, and I thought to myself, "It's easy to remember that God is good on a morning like this. The truth is though, it's not always going to be peaceful and beautiful like that. Sometimes it might be hard to see God, but we just have to remember that even in the eye of the storm God is there and he's still got you in the palm of his hand.


So today, where ever you're at in your life don't forget how important and loved you really are. God bless you today and if you ever need someone to pray with you or for you I would love to do that! Here is a link to the song I was talking about, take a listen, you wont regret it! Eye of the Storm- Ryan Stevenson

Have a great day y'all!

Katelyn

Choosing a Line

This is written by one of my younger brothers, Brandon Short, and he did such a good job!

One of my favorite things to do early in the morning is go for a ride on the mountain bike trails located a few miles from my house. The trails are a thrilling combination of hilly and flat sections with a wide variety of logs, roots, rocks, sand and other obstacles to challenge the rider.

A mountain bike trail can be anywhere from six inches to six feet (or more) in width, but mountain bike tires are only a couple of inches wide. This leaves plenty of options for where to guide your wheels. A line is the exact path a bike’s wheels will take on a trail. The biker must make quick decisions as to where his or her wheels are going to go. For example, one might have a choice to go over or around a log in the trail. Going over the log is a more direct route, but going around is easier. There is not a right and a wrong answer as to which path to take; a skilled rider will likely go over the log, while a beginner will probably choose the smooth path around it. The shorter path is not always the line of choice, but avoiding obstacles is not always the way to go. As I was riding the other day, I thought about this and realized it’s much like living life. Decisions must be made quickly, and a poor decision could have bad consequences. Maybe it causes a ‘wreck,’ or costs you some time. A bad line choice won’t take you out of a race, but it may be more difficult to overcome whatever obstacle is in question, and it will slow you down. Also, what one person does in a given situation is not necessarily right for everyone, although we can learn from the mistakes or successes of others.

Choosing a line is an essential mountain biking skill, but it’s useless if the biker fails to carry out that choice. The best way to stick to your line is to keep your eyes on the path you wish to take. Don’t get distracted by the obstacle you are avoiding. Instead, focus on the path you do want to take. Once you have passed the obstacle, look ahead to the next one, analyze and execute. In life, it’s very easy to get distracted by the problems around us. It’s important, however, to keep our focus on our goal: where we look is where we go. It is necessary to acknowledge the challenge, but only briefly.

One more lesson can be taken from the idea of line choice: you don’t have to know the whole trail. As a biker, one guides his bike through obstacles one at a time. No one is expected to have the trail memorized or know where it goes. You don’t have to have life figured out in order to make good decisions, you only have to take one challenge at a time. Look ahead to where you’re going, but don’t worry just yet about what lies around the corner. Keep your focus on what you can control right now, and make the best of the trail that’s given to you. You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can choose what to do with those circumstances.

About me: I am a freshman at Iowa State University studying engineering. In my free time I enjoy mountain biking and running; mountain biking because it’s thrilling and offers great views (among other reasons), and running because I enjoy pushing my physical limits beyond where I think they are.