by MaryDenman @MaryDenman
While I may prefer to live in calm, storms enter my life. They enter everyone's life.
But what do we do with that?
Do we run and hide or face the storm and learn during its onslaught?
As I said, I prefer calm. For the most part.
I do like excitement. But I don't generally want to have to face a storm.
Yet, they happen.
Some are worse than others. Some hit hard and blow over. Others are long and drawn out.
I know. I've been through both kinds.
May of 2013 was one of the hardest storms I've had to endure. My husband and I both buried a parent. Two weeks apart. My mom and his dad. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Yet, here I am.
What do I mean by that?
Well, honestly, I wanted to curl up in a ball and not move. Not face that kind of pain every day.
But I couldn't just stop living. I had a family who needed me. I needed to get up everyday and keep going. To not let the grief overwhelm me.
It wasn't easy. The grief was profound and deep. There are days it still is. But I have far more breaks in between the sad times. For that, I'm grateful.
Did I learn anything during that storm? Absolutely.
- God doesn't promise us an easy life, but he does promise to be with us.
- A shoulder to cry on is a wonderful thing. I appreciated the friends and family who let me cry while they sat with me or stayed on the phone with me. It helped me to talk about my grief out loud.
- Even though there were times I thought I'd break from the grief, I learned I'm so much stronger than I ever knew. I can see that in hindsight, but still, I did learn it.
- God can use my suffering for others. Because I've been through something so hard, I'm more sympathetic and empathetic to those who are going through grief and difficulties as well.
Those lessons didn't come in the calm. They came through trouble. Through the storm.
What have you learned in the storms in your life?
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I'm the same way, Mary. Calm is much better to weather than the storms of life. But, and it's often in the storms we realize this because we go through it first-hand, God is faithful and will be with us throughout the whole thing. Even though it takes longer than we ever want it to, He never leaves us. I put my hope and trust in that despite my feelings.
ReplyDeleteI know you understand Ellen! You've been through so much and come through so well!
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