Shelly, a YLSS reader, recently sent me a fascinating story. She tells about a tornado that ripped through the central part of her home state of Oklahoma last spring. Guy, a church pastor, and his wife, Vickie, lived directly in the path of the on-coming storm. They took refuge in a closet in the parsonage.

Guy belongs to a denomination (United Methodist) which is known for moving its pastors frequently, and he was scheduled for a move to a new parish in June. Furthermore, as a church leader, he no doubt encountered any number of storms and conflicts among church members. But a tornado was something else entirely, and hiding in the closet seemed the best course of action for the couple.

After the storm passed, they emerged from their hiding place and were astonished to discover that their closet was the only part of the house left standing! Though they lost everything, they had come through unscathed. As the couple stood in the middle of the debris that used to be their home, Vickie’s first comment was: “Wow, Guy! This is wonderful! This will be the easiest move we’ve ever made!”

Here is a person who knows something about handling difficulties. Sometimes we have to look beyond a problem before we can move forward.

If you have ever flown in a jet on a foggy or cloudy day, you probably know something about looking beyond problems. All seems dark and dreary on the ground. Yet every day is a sunny day if we can only get enough altitude.

Thomas Carlyle put it like this: “What you can see, yet cannot see over, is as good as infinite.” Get some altitude and you will be able to see beyond the problem!

Steve Goodier

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