There is an English phrase for something that happens completely unexpectedly; we say that “it came out of the blue.” I thought I understood that phrase, but I got a deeper understanding this past Friday. My husband and I were in Elkhart, Indiana, just across the border from our home county in Michigan. We often drive the 20 miles or so to Elkhart for shopping, banking, eating out, and more. The weather was surprisingly warm and humid for March, with a light breeze and blue skies dotted with light gray clouds. David and I had eschewed both coats and jackets for the day– nearly unheard of for this time of year in our area.

But as we prepared to return home, we noticed that the gray clouds to the north of us had grown darker and heavier. And lower. Still, there was blue sky above us and to the south. It wasn’t raining and there was only a light breeze. We were listening to a radio talk show, which was suddenly interrupted by a high-pitched alarm. The announcer said that there was a tornado warning for our county– the one we were driving through!– and that we should be looking for rain and hail, strong winds, and possible tornadic activity.

We searched the skies– the same clouds we had seen in the north looked darker than normal, but we experienced no strong winds and no rain. About a mile later, we saw evidence that it had rained recently, but otherwise, it was calm. The sky above us was blue. Birds were singing. The air seemed fresh and calm. Still, the weather alert kept giving details. A tornado warning was in effect for the next 35 minutes for our county and the one directly east of us. But we kept driving. A couple of miles later, we saw a small patch of damage– a few twigs and dead leaves had blown across the road in one spot. The evidence of rain became clearer– there were large puddles. We drove through some of the area that had been mentioned in the alert– we skirted Edwardsburg, Diamond Lake, and Cassopolis. We saw small spots of rain and wind damage, and we came into some rain that was still falling, but it was gentle. Behind us to the south and west, the skies were blue.

When we arrived home, we looked at the recent news posts. We were shocked to see that several houses on either side of our path had been touched by hail and tornadoes just before came home, and that tornadoes were still doing damage to the east– in the town where our son lives! We watched as video footage showed the grocery store where I had shopped just days ago losing parts of its roof, while the DIY store across the street lost its entire roof and some of the west wall! Power lines were down, cars and small buildings were being lifted, twisted, and thrown back down on the ground. This was only a mile from our son’s house! And now, our cell phones weren’t working, so we couldn’t call him to see if he was ok. And our skies were blue–someone close by even posted pictures of rainbows!

It turned out our son and his home were fine– they were out of power for a few hours, but no damage to the roof or house or vehicles. Some of my cousins, who also live in that city reported on-line that they were also safe. Whew!

Long story– scary afternoon and evening– but it got me thinking. We were right at the edge of a dangerous storm path, and without the radio warning, we would have concluded that there had been no more than a rain shower around us. Had we been traveling just a few minutes earlier, we might have been taken unawares. This storm came with very little warning, and did a lot of damage, yet people were going about their daily lives– unprepared and unaware of the danger.

Tornadoes are scary because they often come like that– with little warning, and little way of predicting how strong or fast or dangerous they will be. But how many other things in life hit us “out of the blue?” A heart attack, an auto accident, a house fire–suddenly our life spins out of control. How will we react?

After the first shock, we can become lost in the immediate chaos– everything we depend on can vanish in an instant. “Out of the blue” we can lose our health, our job, our home, our relationships, our bank account, and anything else where we find our security. OR, we can rediscover our strength, our hope, and our trust in a God who is more powerful than a tornado; more solid and eternal than any building, and constantly aware of our circumstances– whether we are enjoying blue skies or looking at threatening clouds from the ruins of our family home.

I am praying for the families who were impacted by the recent storms– especially those families who lost homes or loved ones. I can’t offer the comfort of knowing why this happened, or what exactly will come next. But I can offer the hope of knowing the One who knows all things, and whose love is greater than anything else we could ever trust.

Sometimes, bad things come “out of the blue.” Bad things happen to people– not just “bad” people, or “good” people–for reasons that make no earthly sense. But such things, like tornadoes, pass away, die out, leave their mark, or move on. And if we look again, we will be able to see the “blue” sky– the good things that remain, and the hope of renewal.