When The Storms Come
Recently, the intense heat has been on everybody’s mind and has been the source of complaints, struggles, and discomfort. Most people have welcomed whatever break in the weather we could have through rain and cloudiness. Unfortunately, some of the stronger rain showers we’ve had lately have been more problematic than helpful.
The other day, heavy rains happened in the afternoon, and for everybody who was inside, it seemed to be a relief from a heat wave. But I’ve heard of several people lately who began to hear small drips in their ceilings and even large gushes of water that have caused at least moderate damage to their homes and businesses.
Heavy rains like what happened last week sometimes indicate that there’s a problem in the exterior structure or crevices where balconies and adjoining buildings have unseen cracks or weaknesses that can’t be suspected by just looking at the outside. When heavy rains at a house or a building cause large amounts of water to penetrate the seemingly protected areas, intense rain and water connected with gravity cause unwanted damage to seemingly sound structures.
That’s what happens when protective caulking, weak seams that haven’t been addressed in years, and ordinary construction that hasn’t been maintained because problems haven’t been known or seen for years finally present problems. So suddenly, what seems to be an okay situation becomes damaged and in need of repair.
The same is true with our emotional health.
Sometimes our problems sneak up on us and remind us that we must do some things to improve our emotional health and fix some issues that have been in need of repair for some time.
When tough familial stress, personal storms, financial difficulties, work issues, and relational strains happen and “it won’t stop raining and pouring,” we are confronted with the need to address some problems we didn’t know that we had, or ones that we have put off because we didn’t want to face the truth or the unknown.
Sometimes these big issues were initially just small and hidden problems that went unaddressed and then became monumental and, at times, devastating. All of us, at some point, go through these types of struggles.
When the emotional drips become gushing water and flood our lives or current situation, it’s time to call and ask for help. It may involve some kind of personal or family intervention. It may be time to call and talk to a therapist, or it may be time to have a difficult conversation with somebody you care about or bring about restoration through forgiveness or compassionate confrontation.
As with most floods that affect your home, it will take more than superficial patching to fix something that’s been in need of repair for some time.
Call somebody who can help and choose not to put it off any longer. Remember, it will rain hard again, and you don’t have to go through the pain again.
