Many of you
know how perturbed I get when I hear those overused clichés like “God only
gives you what you can handle” or “You were given this life because you are
strong enough to live it”. Hollow words
used when nothing more meaningful can be brought to mind often leave the receiver
of such “encouragement” thinking one of two things…..If I were weak, would my
life be easier? Am I being punished
because I am strong? Oh, the downhill
spiral those thoughts create.
Let me be
clear before I go any further. I believe
in God. I believe He sent His son Jesus
to this earth to live a perfect life and die on the cross as payment for the
redemption of our sins. I believe He was
buried and raised from the dead 3 days later and has prepared a home in heaven
for those who believe in Him. I also
believe that God truly desires for His children to prosper and have hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 says just that.) However, I do not believe that God causes
tragic, painful, life-altering disasters to be set in our path with the intent
of proving to the rest of the world how strong we are. That seems so vindictive, spiteful. What purpose would that serve for God to
bring death, loss, heartache and misery to the very children He has promised
hope and prosperity? That sounds more
like an evil tyrant in some fictional novel, ruling with an iron fist to force
his subjects into a life of dependent submission.
Instead of
God giving us what we can handle, I believe he helps us handle what we have
been given. If you have never
experienced a tragedy, you may not be aware that there are people who have been
put on this earth just to provide you with comfort and joy at the very time
when you need it most. If you have never
been blessed by one of those people, you may not fully understand what I mean
when I say that they were allowed to cross your path at just the right moment,
when you were in need. One of the things
I have come to realize in the past 7 months is that no matter how long those
people are in your life, the significance they bring is immeasurable. For example, there is a lady in California who
I will forever refer to as our guardian angel.
She was in our life for a brief moment but her influence and compassion
will never be forgotten. Another lady,
whom I feel literally saved my life, lives right here in my home town and she
provided me with the tools I needed to find my “new normal”. I truly believe God put those ladies in our
lives to help us handle what had been given to us. I could tell you about so many people and
exactly what they have done for us but I don’t feel like they did those things
for public recognition. I think they saw
an opportunity to help someone they care about deal with a horrible situation
and were grateful to do so, despite how ugly it may have been. God helps us handle the things we are given
by allowing people to be in our lives who are willing to be kind and gracious
to someone in need.
I have come
to understand that life is filled with adversity, for some more than
others. God so beautifully created us
with a free will, an ability to make our own decisions. I have read that when we are faced with a
negative circumstance we can either let it define us or learn from it and
grow. I don’t want to be defined by what
has happened to me. Instead, I choose to
be defined by the person I am, the choices I make, how I treat others and
hopefully, by the legacy I will leave. One
of the little known mysteries about facing a storm in life is that when you are
in the middle of it, in the throes of the gale force winds trying desperately
to break your spirit, begging to take your soul, all you can think of is how
did this happen and will I make it out alive?
While in the eye of the storm, you have no time to contemplate on what
lesson can be gained because all you can do is survive, remember to keep
breathing, try to stay alive and pray that you make it to the next moment. After the storm has passed and you are
finally able to breath, you look at the tattered reflection of the person whom
you resemble and wonder often how you managed to come out alive. Sure, there will always be moments when the
memory of what happened sneaks up on you and rips your breath away with no
warning but you realize that you are alive and you will go on with the
understanding that you will NEVER be the same again. Then one day you understand that there can be
something learned from your storm, even if the lesson is just for you. Did God cause my storm? No, He so faithfully gave me the strength I needed
to survive it by sending wonderful people my way.
So, as you
can see, this post is titled “Ramblings of a Mad Woman” for a good reason…..I
have wanted to share this for quite some time but just couldn’t bring myself to
do it. I have written it all in my head
several times in the shower or just before I fell asleep, only to sit down at
the computer and have nothing. Tonight
when I grabbed my laptop to browse the highly addictive Pinterest, I thought,
tonight is the night, I shall write!
Hopefully, someone will read this and it will be at just the right
moment needed to provide some encouragement.
By the time
I get this posted, it will be February, my birthday month! I have decided to try to focus on giving
instead of falling into the pit of depression that comes with having another
birthday and realizing I don’t have my own family. I am going to practice an Intentional Act of
Kindness for every day in the month of February, with 2 Acts of Kindness during
my birthday week. I really don’t think
it is a coincidence that this will equal 35 Acts of Kindness for my 35th
birthday! I’m looking forward to
blessing others as I am reminded that there have people sent my way who have
blessed me. Oh and I’m still accepting
presents, that part has not changed at all!!
Thanks for
continuing to be a part of this journey with me…………
