Storms, Mattresses and Truth

Anyone who has read my past blogs, or who has known me over the last few years, knows that I have had some really rough stuff happen.  Whether these things were of my own doing or not, the last few years have definitely tested me, my marriage and my faith.  All of these things, mixed with the good stuff, has changed me.  And I was just recently tested, again.  However, these tests have shown me the kind of person I really am, and the kind of person I have tried to be.

The weather here in Illinois has been crazy, to say the least.  We get some incredibly nice days, then we get hit with intense thunderstorms and tornado watches/warnings.  It just so happens that some of the latest storms happened during a time that I was being tested with things in my life.  And all I could do was notice the comparison.

Relationships, whether it be friendship or marriage, are a lot like the weather.  There are beautiful days when you are happy and you wish it could just last forever.  There are cloudy days where it's not all sunshine and smiles but still many good possibilities. Then, out of nowhere the dark clouds can roll in, causing storms and damage to everything.  You want to run and hide, to avoid the storms, to protect yourself from the damage they could cause.  Relationships are the same way.  And when it's stormy in a relationship, a lot of people just run and hide from the storm.

Though, in these storms, it is family that protects each other.  Family who work together to ensure the safety of everyone.  Families who weather the storms together, huddling in a closet praying that the storms pass quickly and do as little damage as possible.  Relationships should be the same way.  Families working together to protect each other, to weather the storms together and to pray together for the storms to pass.

With this last round of storms in our area, I thought about the real possibility of a tornado coming through our neighborhood.  What if damage was done to our home?  What if I had to do more than get in a closet with my family?  What if I had to take more drastic measures to protecting them?  As everyone knows, or should know, the deadliest part of a tornado is flying debris.  If one were to come through here, the best bet would be for us to have a mattress or something over us as protection from things flying and falling on us.  However, this would likely terrify my children and would possible hurt them a little from the weight of the mattress or something related to it.  Though, with all the flying and falling debris, you would hurt a lot more for a lot longer if the mattress weren't there.  And that is even if you survive it.  When storms happen in relationships, this can ring true as well.

The relationship storm has flying debris, in the sense of lies, infidelity, abuse, or any other issue that could tear a marriage apart.  These things can also cause the end of the relationship.  However, just like in a real storm, truth is the mattress.  It is the truth that will protect the relationship from the other flying debris.  I believe that no matter what debris is flying in the relationship storm, when you tell the truth, it protects you.  It may still hurt a little at that moment, but the long term pain will be much less than if it weren't there.  Even if there is no guarantee, it is better safe than sorry.  And, speaking from personal experience, the truth is always the best bet when you want to protect those you love.

So, whether you are in a real storm or in a metaphorical storm, remember your mattress.  Don't believe in the idea that you could still cause pain, so what's the point, because you could likely suffer way more pain without that protection.  And remember that when you are weathering these storms, don't leave the family on the wrong side of that mattress, they need that protection too!