Riding the Storm Out by Onyx Conklin
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10).
I still remember how hard I was shaking that afternoon. I remember the shaking as much as I can recall the pelting rain soaking through every inch of my clothing. Terror filled my emotions and there was only one thing left for me to do…
My Papa Joe stands about 6’4″. His legs take up more than half his length. He’s a retired big rig truck driver who loves Jesus and laughs far more than he’s serious. He’s also very tenderhearted and grafted me in as a daughter seven years ago. Now in his retirement years he rides a big Harley Davidson trike. He loves to go fast! So I am always all too eager to jump on the back, crank up the 70’s rock tunes, and drive up and down the deserts and mountains of New Mexico, my arms wrapped tightly around his middle. We sing loudly over the roar of the engine and I like to use the back of his helmet as a drum. It makes him shake his head, mocking annoyance, and then he lets out a great big laugh! I cuddle right up to him because he always makes me feel safe.
A year and a half ago we set out on such a ride—picture perfect day. We stopped for a late lunch in Madrid, New Mexico and as we were leaving a dark rain cloud began to form and the sky looked devilish. We were headed home but we were nearly an hour away and had to drive down the mountain to get to Albuquerque.
Soon enough that dark, angry, pregnant cloud went into labor and pounded us with rain. We barely made it to a gas station before the wind joined the waterworks. We waited a good twenty minutes for the rain to slow down and made the decision to get out on the road again while there was a break. We were done with the flat roads, this time we would be driving down the mountain on winding roads—nothing to shield us and nowhere to stop. Ten minutes into it, the storm came back with a vengeance!
I yelled at him completely terrified.
“Papa, we gotta turn around!”
He yelled back over all the noise. “No! We have to keep moving forward! We can’t go back where we came from!”
“But the gas station is right behind us!”
“No! We have to go forward. I know you’re scared but just hold onto me real tight. You can trust me. We’ll be okay. Just trust me and God and hold on!” He yelled back at me, firmly but lovingly.
I secured my grip around him, leaned into him as tightly as I could, and felt the cold rain piercing my skin like little arrows. I couldn’t see anything at all. And then I did all I knew to do, I held onto my Papa but I began talking to Jesus—my strong defender. I prayed in every language I knew and then began to pray in languages I didn’t know, as loudly as I could!
It took a long time to get down that long, twisted, mountain road with absolutely zero physical protection besides our helmets, boots, and blue jeans! Papa didn’t even have a jacket! We found another gas station at the bottom and pulled over so we could ride out the last of the storm. I was shaking uncontrollably. I had been so scared. I clung to Papa Joe. Half an hour later we were back home and safe, even though it rained the whole way and we fought floods when we got back to the city. We marveled at it all.
I learned several valuable lessons from that rainy adventure. The first was that Papa Joe was just as frightened as I was but he was my protector and was going to do everything to make me safe both physically and mentally. He was so brave and he confided later that he genuinely couldn’t see the road ahead. He said Jesus was a biker that day!
Second, prayer is oxygen! We didn’t get down by sight, neither of us could see! We got down on trust and faith. A good man, whether he is a Papa, a husband, a friend, etc, should always point us back to Jesus. He is where our security really is. That day Papa Joe showed me who Jesus is.
I am grateful my good Shepherd is always with me—and it seems He also likes to ride Harley’s! I, for one, rejoice in my caring Father and my Papa Joe! Despite the scary adventure, I’m always ready to ride!
#
We hope you will join us in Austin, Texas for the annual Pearls of Promise Level-Up Women’s Conference on April 25th at Wells Branch Community Church. Sign up today at: