There’s something about Memorial Day weekend that seems to conjure memories of camping trips interrupted by rain. It seems to never fail. There is almost always a certain amount of rain during this holiday. Maybe it’s the tears of God – enriching the soil with thoughts of those who perished in war. Maybe it’s because we tend to put so much focus on plans for summer fun and the beginning of vacation season. It might be a simple need for the moisture that makes things grow and flourish.

I recall a camping trip when our two oldest children were very young, and daddy wanted to give them the experience of living outdoors for the weekend. Mommy wasn’t too crazy about the idea, since she had never been camping in her life. Off the little family went, with tent in tow and various cooking supplies, sleeping bags and survival stuff. I had no idea why we needed supplies for survival, but soon found out. We all helped to pitch the tent and set up our meager camp site. The sky was looking rather ominous as a wall cloud began to form. We finished our supper, made over an open fire – toasted marshmallows and succumbed to the end of the day. Everyone immediately fell asleep after a day of living in the wilderness. Mommy and daddy were wakened by the sound of a fierce wind swirling around our little tent. The two children slumbered deeply not realizing the danger that was approaching. Daddy went outside to secure the tent to a nearby tree. Mommy thought she would help by pushing the side of the tent towards daddy’s direction. As water poured into her armpits, he scurried outside in nothing but his underwear. We both realized we were in for a big-time storm so sent our prayers to the One who would protect us through whatever would happen next. The children slept through the entire ordeal. We discovered the next morning that a tornado had leveled most of the tents in our campground. Ours was still standing. We spent the rest of the day at the laundromat, drying out the sleeping bags and our clothes. You would think my experience that night would’ve made a seasoned camper out of me. It didn’t. I rarely camped after that experience, but I was amazed that my children were oblivious to the danger which surrounded them.

There will be storms in every aspect of our lives. Trusting that God will see us through gives us the confidence we need to weather those storms. As we begin this Memorial Day weekend, always look for the rainbow that follows a storm. It’s God’s promise to us that everything is going to be alright.

HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!