Are you going through a difficult time, what we might call a storm in your life? It could be a health diagnosis, a failing relationship, difficulty at work, parenting problems, etc. We all have problems and issues that pop up in life. This is unavoidable. But what isn’t unavoidable is handling the storms with confidence and calm.

Storms are inevitable when you fly as a pilot of an aircraft. My neighbor is a pilot for a major airline. He has been trained specifically on what to do when he encounters storms. Pilots learn the 5 Cs of how to deal with storms. The application to our lives is so helpful that I wanted to share this. A visiting pastor in our church shared this powerful metaphor.

When you encounter a life storm:

1) Calm down–don’t panic or allow fear to drive your decisions or reactions. Staying calm is key to thinking and reacting properly.

2) Check your instruments--you can’t go by feelings. Pilots deal with a condition in which their feeling of up and down isn’t always correct. Thus, they have to rely on their instruments to give them correct information. The same is true for us. Our feelings aren’t the best indicator of how to proceed when storms come. We must check our instruments–prayer and the Word of God.

3) Communicate with the tower--when storms hit, it is imperative to communicate with the tower. The tower can see you on radar and has a better picture of your circumstance than you do. In our case, the tower is God. Stay connected, don’t pull away.

4) Comply with what you are told- Because the tower has a better view of the weather and your aircraft, do what they tell you to do. Don’t go rogue. Listen to instructions and comply. The same is true for the Christian. Instead of listening to all the voices around us, comply with the Word and what God tells you to do.

5) Climb higher–When a storm is really difficult to fly through, the best thing is to climb higher and get above the storm. Worship is our way to go higher. The more we immerse ourselves in the presence of God, the more we can get above the storm and be in a place of peace.