Deja Vu a la Thunderstorms

Have you ever had deja vu? Have you ever had deja vu? (Besides just now—I really did write those twice just to see what you would do.)

I just did today. Well, sort of.

Deja vu is a french term that means “already seen.” It’s the phenomenon or having seen or experienced a current situation in the past, whether or not it has actually happened.

I had some errands to run this afternoon and, of course, I chose the best possible time to leave the house—right when there is a massive storm cell passing through. I saw the clouds when I left, but figured it would just be a short thunderstorm to pass through, since we have now entered the thunderstorm season.

Now is the Time to Panic

I actually really like thunderstorms. They are exciting, although if you asked the six-year-old version of me, that’s probably not what I would have said. But now, I love to see the power harnessed in the clouds and displayed in the skies.

But. I don’t like driving in them. I like watching thunderstorms from the comfort of my own home, thankyouverymuch. As much as I’d like to think it would be cool to be a storm chaser and drive one of those “indestructible” vehicles, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do it.

Anyways, I was in the car when the storm came through today, and thankfully I was just sitting in a parking lot, and not trying to drive. But the wind was fierce and the rain relentless. And I’m pretty sure I saw a transformer blow, because there was some more colored flashes than just white from the lightning.

As I sat in my car, slightly terrified, I had deja vu, but because this had already happened to me this week. I was driving home Wednesday night in another big storm. There was lightning all over the place, and it seemed to be right on top of me. And of course, I live in the sticks, so there are tall trees everywhere, and I have to drive under them to get home…with all this lightning.  And I was scared. I pictured a tree falling right on top of my car at any moment. It was only seven miles home, but that was a long seven miles.

Now is Not the Time to Panic

In a completely unrelated (or so it seems) project I’m working on right now, I’m being reminded of God’s faithfulness, and I’m having to ask myself where I place my trust.

And it hit me between the wiper blades —twice now this week. Am I truly trusting God, who wields power over the wind and lightning to get me home safely? Or my ability to drive fast?

When I put it in words, it seems like the silliest question ever. But the fact is, I don’t have to panic when I’m driving in a thunderstorm. Because if I trust God, and actually believe that He is who He says He is, then the panicking levels should be fairly low.

Now I’m not saying that you should never be scared. A certain amount of fear is healthy. But it was in these thunderstorms that my faith in God had to become real. Fast.

I trust God for my future, for my final destination. But do I trust God to get me safely across seven miles?