The Eye of the Storm

It was September 1979 and I lived in the path of Hurricane Frederic, a Category 4 storm that developed in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall at Dauphin Island, Alabama.[1] I was only nine years old, and thankfully our family didn’t live right on the coast. Though far enough inland that the storm surge and winds weren’t devastating, they still cancelled school in my area. We rode out the storm at home with the TV on—that is, until the power went out. The wind howled and the lightning flashed and several trees fell nearby. The rain came down in torrential sheets.

But then, a few hours in, everything just stopped. The rain, the wind, everything died down. The sun even came out for a short while. My dad told us that the eye of the storm—the very center of it—was passing overhead. Now was not the time to come out of the house, he said calmly. More of the storm was coming. Thinking back now, nearly half a century ago, I still think the eye was the scariest part of the hurricane. Everything was calm, but we knew exactly what was coming next, and there was nothing we could do but hunker down to ride out the second half.

The damage cost from Frederic was $2.3 billion. Five deaths were directly attributable to the storm. A storm surge of 12-15 feet on the Gulf beaches and 8-10 feet in northern Mobile Bay destroyed numerous coastal buildings. Photo: AL.com

How do you react in the middle of a storm? I’m not talking about a hurricane of course, but the storms of life, business, family, health, finances, or difficult circumstances? We face storms every week of one sort or another. A powerful leadership characteristic is the ability to remain calm and objective in the face of a coming crisis. You know the storm is on the way, but you don’t panic, and instead react with determination and level-headed decision-making.

The Bible gives many verses of comfort when we are going through life’s storms. Theologians often say things like, “Jesus may not calm your storm, but He will walk through the storm with you.” And this is true—though I believe we would prefer the storm go away than to have to walk through it, even knowing God is there too. Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” This is comforting, but I must admit I go through storms of all kinds with a significant dose of fear.

How does a faithful leader remain calm in a storm? Whatever clouds are forming in your life or business, the simple but powerful answer is to trust what God has said. Isaiah 43:2 tells us, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Notice not if, but when you go through deep waters… God will be with you. To believe that God will bring you through the storm as you remain faithful to Him is the very definition of hope. The more storms we weather, the greater our trust in God and the stronger our hope in Him becomes.

I think back now to that storm in 1979 and I realize though it was devastating for many, and we suffered some damage, we got through it. And growing up near the Gulf Coast I encountered several other hurricanes during my life. Now I approach storms—the weather related ones and the ones in life and work—in the same way. I gather information that will help me make good decisions, I approach them with a healthy degree of concern and attention. But ultimately, I trust in God, whose word reminds me to stay calm and focused in the eye of the storm.

[1] https://www.weather.gov/mob/frederic

Cover image: Shutterstock