As I sit here and write this, I am soaked head-to-toe drying my textbooks out in the lobby of a building on campus. My hair is wet, my shoes squeak when I walk, and of course- my textbooks are now water-stained and will require the saving grace of a hairdryer. The only good news is that my laptop is still fully-functioning, which is nothing short of a miracle.

I am reminding myself that just this morning I was complaining about the miserable heat wave, begging for some sort of relief. Well, I definitely got what I wished for. To be honest, I really don’t mind a good storm. They're nice to watch from the comfort of your own bed. It's not so great being caught in the middle of one unprepared. But the reality is, storms in life are inevitable.

The storms of life can often come by surprise. Life is funny that way. We all have those weeks where we feel like we live on "Cloud 9" and nothing can put a damper on our mood or circumstances. We feel like we’re on top of the world and nothing can bring us down. Sometimes that streak can carry on for a week, two weeks, a month, or even a semester but then comes the storm. For me today, that was a literal hurricane with sideways rain and getting soaked head-to-toe by a car who was driving too fast to care about drenching me. For you, it could be a failing grade on a paper, a breakup, a bad doctor’s report, or maybe a strained friendship. You are not alone.

I have heard it said before that, “You are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or preparing to go right back into one.” That is how it goes. While this doesn't sound so positive or encouraging, I challenge you to view the storms of life in a new light.

What if through every storm you faced in life, you learned something new about yourself, conquered a gripping fear, made a new friend, opened your mind to a new perspective, or came out feeling more confident in yourself? The storms of life can either be a setback or an opportunity. Your response to the storms in your life shows where you put your faith and who you are as a person.

Some of the greatest moments in life have come from responding to storms with faith, hope, courage, strength, and grace. Maybe God is using the storm in your life to teach you something about Himself? Maybe He's preparing you for something better? Maybe He's growing you? Don't ever take a moment or situation in your life for granted. Be confident that there is purpose in your suffering.

You can't forget that at the end of a storm, there comes a rainbow.