Shelter in the Storm

Dark clouds covered the sky, and thunder boomed in the distance. "Look at Henny-Penny, Mom." Josie pointed to the chicken near a little coop by the barn. "She's clucking for her chicks. I guess she wants to protect them from the storm." The mother hen stood in the doorway of the coop, clucking loudly, and the chicks ran to her from all directions. Josie watched as Henny-Penny led her chicks into the coop and settled down, covering them with her wings. A heavy gust of wind and a spattering of rain sent Josie and her mother scurrying into the house."There's a tornado warning for our area," Dad told them. "I just got a notification on my phone. Let's go to the basement."Even in the basement, Josie and her family could hear the storm increasing in fury. The wind raged and howled, thunder roared, and lightning flashed again and again. Josie moved close to her dad, and he put a strong arm around her, hugging her close to his side.At last the storm passed, and they all hurried upstairs, thankful the house was still intact. Josie went out to see if Henny-Penny and her chicks were all right. "They're fine," she reported a little later. She gave her father a hug. "I was really scared, Dad, but I felt safer with your arm around me. I guess I felt like the chicks, safe under their mother's wings.""Henny-Penny sheltered her chicks, Dad sheltered you--and God shelters all His children," said Mom."That's right," Dad said. "You'll go through many kinds of storms in life, Josie. There will be times when things get tough and scary, and I may not always be there to put my arm around you. But just remember what the Bible says about your heavenly Father. Psalm 91 says, 'He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.'""God has feathers and wings?" asked Josie.Dad smiled. "God wants us to know that He's always there to watch over us in life's storms, so He gives an example He knows you and I can understand. We don't have to be afraid when bad things happen because Jesus has saved us and given us eternal life. No matter what storms we face in life, God is with us." -Mary Rose Pearson