I am originally from Missouri, where there is a geological marvel unbeknownst to central Illinois: hills. They provide everything from sledding velocity during the winter to motion sickness in the car and everything in between. But perhaps an underrated element of hills is that they block the wind sometimes.

I don’t know if you know this, but Illinois doesn’t have hills. Or at least, not very many. And so, it gets windy here. Like, really windy. That might mean good news for kite flyers, but for home owners with trees in their yard, it means one thing—sticks. Everywhere.

Like right now, for example. As I’m writing this, a brief storm rolled through. Strong winds, heavy rain. And…sticks in the yard. It’s inevitable at this point. I’m just going to be picking up sticks in my yard after storms for the entirety of my life. Winds come in, sticks fall down, Matt picks up sticks for the burn pile. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Normally I wouldn’t think much of it, other than general annoyance. It’s a part of life. But this time a thought popped in my head. In my life, I can think of a handful of “storms” that have snuck up on me and caused some damage. Financial burden, loss of loved ones, strain on relationships. Some storms you see coming, others come out of nowhere. But one thing they all have in common is that they leave behind a mess to clean up.

As in the case with real storms, someone has to clean up that mess. Sometimes it’s more than what I can clean up, myself. I sure am thankful that I serve a God who provides people in my life to help me clean up the mess. Or that He cares enough to clean it up, Himself.

He didn’t just create this place, wind the clock, and walk away. He’s there. He sees us. He communicates with us. He interacts with us. And sometimes He cleans up our messes. What a blessing it is to be loved by a King who would stoop to our level just to pick up some sticks after a storm.

Paul writes in Romans that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” That includes storms, and that includes sticks in the yard. We serve a good King.