My thoughts have been consumed these past few days with how quickly life can change. It is a current theme I am seeing and feeling all throughout life right now. Even though it seems like a somewhat unnatural theme, it truly shouldn't be.
We should expect the unexpected and know that we aren't promised consistency outside of God Himself. In fact, scripture prepares us for it. John 16:33 says, I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Even though we should expect it, we never do. Our minds can't wrap around the idea that life can and will change without notice.
Sometimes it's good. Engagements. Births. Weddings. Job promotions. Just to name a few. Those things sometimes come as a surprise and always, always forever change our lives. We celebrate those milestones. Friends and family rejoice those life changing events with us.
Sometimes it's bad. Accidents. Illnesses. Job loss. Death. Those things sometimes come as a surprise too and forever change us. It is those things which probably have the more profound effect on us. Those things are probably the ones which make us take stock of what we have and drive us deeper into introspection.
Unfortunately it is the bad kind of life altering moments I have seen in the lives of my family and friends lately.
As you may have seen in the last post, my friend went into surgery for a potential appendix problem and was given a cancer diagnosis two days later. Completely unexpected. Her life, the life of her family and friends, has forever changed. In a matter of days, she went from healthy to having a massive life altering obstacle set before her.
This weekend, my husband's 21 year-old nephew was involved in an accident. He was driving a dump truck when he struck another truck from behind, pushing it into oncoming traffic. One driver died, another was flown to a KC hospital and his nephew was not physically hurt. I say that because he is likely suffering emotionally and mentally.
In a split second, our nephew's life, the lives of the drivers, the families of the drivers and our family was forever changed. When the days started for everyone involved, I know none of them expected how the day would end. I probably should keep my comments to a minimum since this is likely still under investigation. What I can say is that at this moment, none of us fully know or understand the depth of change this will bring to our nephew's life alone.
Trauma, adversity, change, none of it is foreign to me. Trauma has been common place in my life, but too much so. Seeing others go through it, changes me. It penetrates my heart in a different way. I feel these things so very deeply.
These things cause me to think through my life. I have been spending a lot of time prioritizing the things that really matter. My husband matters. The lady who was rude to me, not so much. I have thought about the things I need as opposed to what I have. I have far more than I need.
Probably the most important is being thankful for my faith. My goodness, I am not sure how I handled these traumatic things before becoming a Christian. In fact, I think my overall ability to think through all of these things in healthier ways in every way related to my growing understanding of who God is. Without that, I would be a mess today and not able to use these things to evaluate my own life.
I hope the next time I have one of those split-second, life-altering changes, good or bad, I will remember all of this. I hope I will be able to find peace in that moment knowing regardless of what has changed, God has not.
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