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READ: ROMANS 5:1-5; 12:15\n\n\n\nBOOM! A clap of thunder shook the rounded windows of Habitation Enclosure 150 in the Tuuli province of the planet Terra.\n\n\n\n\u201cThat sounded awfully close,\u201d said Lillah with a shiver. \u201cI hate storms.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cI know,\u201d said Phlox, Lillah\u2019s roommate and the area botanist. \u201cIt feels safer when we don\u2019t have to see the lightning.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cI wish it could just rain without all that thunder and lightning.\u201d Lillah sighed.\n\n\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Phlox, \u201cdid you know that when lightning hits the ground, it breaks down nutrients in the soil so plants can use them?\u201d\n\n\n\nLillah smiled. \u201cI think I\u2019ve heard something about that, but it\u2019s been years\u2026And I know I\u2019m not going to stop your inevitable botany lecture.\u201d\n\n\n\nPhlox laughed. \u201cWell, I\u2019ll spare you most of it. But, basically, lightning is important because it plays a part in helping plants grow.\u201d\n\n\n\nLillah nodded. \u201cOnly the Creator could bring so much order out of so much chaos.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cI agree,\u201d said Phlox. \u201cI\u2019m glad the Creator is with us and we\u2019re never alone. In actual storms or when things get chaotic in our own lives.\u201d Phlox\u2019s eyes sparkled with the beginnings of tears.\n\n\n\nLillah hugged her friend. \u201cI know this year hasn\u2019t been easy for you. Moving to Tuuli to watch over an underfunded community garden\u2026after your dream job at the National Art Garden lost funding. That\u2019s a big loss to grieve.\u201d\n\n\n\nA flash of lightning caused them both to wince.\n\n\n\n\u201cThank you for grieving it with me.\u201d Phlox wiped at the tears on her cheeks. \u201cMay the Creator use my life storm to give me the nutrients I need to grow in love.\u201d\n\n\n\nLillah nodded. \u201cAnd may He remind us that, even in chaos, His love holds us steady.\u201d \u2022 A. W. Smith\n\n\n\n\u2022 What are some life storms you or your friends are going through? Maybe you or someone you love is struggling with illness, or you feel like you\u2019ve lost all your friends. Remember, because Jesus died and rose again for us, we\u2019re never alone, no matter what storm comes our way. He\u2019s right there with us, inviting us to talk to Him about all our problems and helping us grow. We can rest in His embrace as we look forward to the day He\u2019ll return and make everything new.\n\n\n\n\u2026we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)