I will never forget staring out the window of my dorm room on the fourth floor of Weymouth Hall at Texas Tech University in 1983. There was a massive wall of dust at least three hundred feet high, moving in from the North. It looked like a scene from an apocalyptic destruction of the world movie.

My roommate quickly made microwave popcorn – a brand new invention at the time- and we watched the storm roll in, consuming and covering everything in red dust. People were running for cover, jumping into cars, and ducking into doorways. It was comical watching people react.

The wind and sand banged against our window and visibility dropped to zero. It was not pitch black; it was pitch red. Awesome.

After about thirty seconds, the wind ceased, and it began to rain mud. Only in west Texas!

That is one thing I like about the Texas Panhandle, due to its “flatness,” you can see a storm brewing hundreds of miles away.

I saw the storm approaching as I was walking back from the dining hall, so I hustled to my dorm room to spectate. I found safe shelter and was able to get out of harm’s way.

I was ready when the storm hit because I saw it coming.

Vehicles today are equipped with airbags, seatbelts, radars, beeping sound, flashing lights and vibrations to keep us safe from what we may not see coming.

Some cars will even steer you back to the right if you veer left. It’s amazing.

Obviously, the reason for all of that technology is to keep the vehicle occupants safe from harm in an accident they don’t see coming. They might be able to brace for impact, but that is about it.

Unfortunately, life is not always like that.

What I have learned in my sixty years of living is that sometimes when the storms of life hit, there is no place to hide and take cover.

It’s just you, the wind and rain. No shelter to hide under, no air bags to protect you, no seat belt to keep you from harm. The full force of the storm hits you without warning.

You don’t have the luxury of looking over miles of cotton fields to see what is headed your way, so you dig in your heels and face the storm. Just like Lt. Dan in the movie Forrest Gump. He strapped himself to the crow’s nest on their shrimp boat in the middle of a hurricane and told God to bring it on. We are stronger than we think.

I’ve had more than just a few shouting matches with God.

I read a quote that said, “you are where you are today based on your choices.” I believe that, but not completely. I do believe we reap what we sow, but even if you sow nothing but goodness, the storms of life still show up.

Sometimes the good die young, and the not so good live to be old and gray. That’s just the way it is and there’s no good reason.

My take on life is pretty simple. Either you are coming out of a storm, you are currently in one, or there is one coming.

I have to be sure my feet are planted in the right foundation which will keep me from getting pummeled when the storms hit. If I remain rooted in my faith, then each ensuing storm is a bit easier to survive because my roots have dug deeper from enduring the storm before.

I like to think we become braver from experiencing fear and stronger from facing our weakness. When the wind is blowing the hardest is when you can learn to fly.

There is always a storm brewing. Some you see coming, some you don’t. Stand firm in your foundation and let the wind blow. It will pass and the skies will clear.

“Every storm runs out of rain. Just like every dark night turns into day. Every heartache will fade away. Just like every storm runs out of rain.”

– Gary Allan (Every Storm Runs Out of Rain)

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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].