Name Your Storm

Some storms are loud on the outside. Others roar inside your house—or your chest. I grew up in a home where yelling felt like wallpaper. Doors slammed. Glass broke. My little heart learned to brace.

On clear nights, I’d climb out my window, curl up on the backyard trampoline, and whisper toward the stars, “Someday my life won’t be like this.” That was my first act of courage. I didn’t know to call it that yet, but what I was doing was releasing the heartache, the questions, and very hard moments to God. I was naming the storm.

Naming what is causing you pain doesn’t make you weak; it makes you honest. You can’t surrender what you won’t acknowledge. You can’t invite Jesus into a mess you keep pretending isn’t there. It’s time to get honest with yourself. It’s time to be vulnerable.

When the disciples panicked in a boat, Jesus didn’t scold them for waking Him. He stood, named what was happening, and spoke straight to it: “Peace, Be still!” Naming precedes calming. By naming your storm, it strips its power over you.

Truth opens the door for peace.

Maybe your storm is fear. Maybe it’s family dysfunction, anxiety, or financial pressure. Maybe it’s the soundtrack of someone else’s anger living rent-free in your head and heart.

Start here: call it what it is. Say it out loud to God what is hurting you. What is keeping you up at night? What is something you haven’t healed from? Write it in a journal. Tell a trusted friend. When you name the storm, you break secrecy. Secrecy keeps shame alive; honesty invites Jesus to lift the weight you were never designed to carry.

This isn’t about being dramatic; it’s about being free. You can’t disrupt what you won’t define. And you can’t chart a new course while a hidden storm keeps steering your ship.

Today, let love—not fear, not expectations—be the loudest voice in the room. Name your storm, then hand it to the One who commands wind and waves.

What’s the exact name of the storm you’re facing—and how will you say it (to God, on paper, or to a safe friend) before the day ends?