Moving Forward

At times it takes a change of environment to see things from a different perspective.

Last week, I had to make an urgent trip, and at the location I traveled to, a nice family took me in for the night. During my time with them, they discussed certain struggles and challenges they’d gone through in the past three years, and the path they decided to follow after losing most of their belongings in a tragic fire incident. They discussed the process – which is still ongoing - that they used (or are using) to address the challenges they’d gone through, and after hearing them, most of what I could think of that night was: what it took them - mentally, physically, and spiritually - to pull out of what I felt was really overwhelming. But in the face of it all, they held on to God as their sufficiency, and I was fortunate to witness this in the things that were said and done.

The uncertainty that shrouds any path taken in the face of life’s trials can really be a nerve racking experience. In the midst of it, some could get caught up in its web and be trapped in a circuitous path which can really be frustrating, while others could see past what is present and keep pushing forward. And though every step taken might seem staggering in those moments, there is this comfort for those who walk such path wisely: that such difficult road must come to an end. 

Prior to this trip, things felt static and this was frustrating, but the experience from that trip helped me put into perspective a couple of things:

i.                    At some point, everyone encounters some sort of trial.

This is something we have to be conscious of; it can come anytime; it can occur to anyone. And though the gravity of it and how everyone takes it varies, you should stay conscious of who is beside you, because with Him by your side, the situation would not overwhelm you.

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side … then they would have swallowed us alive …” – Psalm 124: 2, 3.

ii.                  Recovery is a process.

I am aware; it is not as easy as it sounds. During this process of recovery, the emotions and memories of the challenges encountered could really be intense. It could be guilt of the things done, that should not have been done or vice versa; it could be resentment toward a person or some other unsorted emotion. However, the road to recovery either: mentally, physically, or spiritually, is a process and the sooner it is addressed, the quicker can one move forward.

iii.                Share your story.

The experience from that trip changed my perspective on certain things. And most of it came from the necessary things that the couple shared with me during our discussion. Now the couple was probably unaware of the impact they had had on me by sharing their story, but what they did realigned my views on certain things and helped me perceive and go about some personal dealings differently. So when the opportunity presents itself, share your story.

To add to the opening statement: always be sensitive, for certain answers can stare us right in the face at unexpected times and places – as I experienced that night - and if we are not sensitive the experience that may have changed things would only seem elusive.

Do have a blessed day.