A seven year old wakes on his grandparents couch. Around him he finds those closest to him crying uncontrollably in anguish. Why? Because his mother had just been killed in a car accident.
A twenty-four year old goes to the doctor after experiencing awkward symptoms he can’t explain. He leaves with a diagnosis that brings fear and questions he struggles to find the answers to.
A twenty-eight year old, in the prime of his life, hears the doctor tell he and his wife, “I’m sorry, but you can’t have children.”
What do they all have in common? They are me. I was the seven year old, the twenty-four year old, twenty-eight year old. They are all me. I dare say these three instances go down as some of the darkest moments of my life. They may seem minimal to some but to me they were earth-shattering. Uncontrollable situations that sprung to life and left me momentarily wandering, oblivious as to my next move. In each situation I felt alone. The darkness threatened to swallow me and was more than I could bear. The hand I had been dealt, well, sucked. It sounds crude but it’s true. Life had dealt me an impossible hand and I was left wondering what my next move would be. Early in each situation I decided to keep my eyes forward and concentrate on the task at hand. The road wasn’t easy but I pressed forward. Win or lose, I was in this. I could run away or I could finish what had been started regardless the outcome.
Life changing events are bound to take place and will affect you, many times, in negative ways. Sometimes we experience warnings. Yet at other times the storm comes out of nowhere and threatens to bring your hopes and dreams crashing down with them. But there’s hope and I found it in the oddest of scriptures. Genesis 9:28 states, “After the flood Noah lived….” He lived! He encountered, literally, the greatest storm of his lifetime and he made it through! He had to endure death and loss all around him but he lived and rebuilt his life. Simply put-there IS life after the storm. Back to my personal stories from earlier. What was the outcome of every situation I endured, you ask? I was an overcomer!!! Not by my own doing but with the help of God. God took my ashes and made them into something beautiful and priceless. In each instance, had it not been for a loving wife, family, and friends I don’t know what I would have done. Even more importantly, had it not been for an all-sufficient, loving, and merciful God I would have most definitely crumbled. In every instance it felt like the end. In those dark moments all I could see was the terrible situation in front of me. Surprisingly, each dark moment was actually a beginning. At the very moment I was at my weakest, God was made strong. Every time I thought I was at the end of my rope God gave me the strength to hold on a little longer. Every time I was ready to place a period at the end of a sentence, God took the pencil and placed a comma instead. How will you choose to move forward in the face of adversity today? Here’s a good start: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:14 (NLT) The choice is yours. But be aware, God always has an ‘ace up his sleeve.’ He’s prepared to step in at the exact moment you think you’re going under. Take a deep breath and press on, my friends. You’re not in this alone. Just keep pressing forward!!! There IS life after the storm!!!