A Storm is Brewing

I’m not going to lie.  It was a rough week.  Between the prolonged stay at home orders, summer plans being canceled, and being in one another’s space 24/7, it was just a matter of time before we all hit tilt.  And the perfect storm finally came to our house last week.  It wasn’t one thing in particular…more like a lot of little things building up over time.  And eventually, the weight of those little things became too much to bear. 

It amazes me how the little things can become so big. And how they can have such a huge impact on my well-being.

The storm, and all the feelings that whirled around within it, hit me hard.  My heart hurt and I felt like a failure as a mom.  I was emotionally exhausted and deeply, deeply sad.  And I was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no one else had experienced a storm of this magnitude. 

Given what I just shared above, it should come as no surprise that I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.  Or as my husband sometimes calls it…a bullseye!  Good or bad, right or wrong, I cannot fake how I’m feeling.  I’m incapable of compartmentalizing and I don’t do well trying to quietly wait out the discomfort of the storm.

God Knows What We Need

As luck would have it, we had plans to meet with friends for dinner. It was our first couples dinner since the stay at home order was put in place in mid-March.  I desperately wanted to reconnect with my friends in person, but I was in no mood or frame of mind to be social.  In the end, the need to reconnect won out and we joined our friends.

It wasn’t long before I shared what was going on and how defeated I felt.  And what I received in return was exactly what my heart and soul needed to start mending and healing.  My friends met me with “Me too!,” “I can’t believe you made it this long before a big blow up,” “That was our house last week,” and “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it makes me feel better to hear that this is happening to you too.” They listened. They understood. They offered hard-won wisdom. They gave me hope that this “perfect storm” would indeed pass.

C.S. Lewis wisely said:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one (wo)man says to another:

“What! You too?  I thought that no one but myself…” 

In my time of sadness, when I felt lost and could not help myself, God surrounded me with the very people who could.  God puts people in our lives to walk alongside us.  To support us.  To encourage us.  To listen to us.  To help us. 

He knows exactly what we need and the words of encouragement we need to hear.  And he sends these people, his angels on earth in the shape of beloved friends, to share His wisdom, His love and His grace.  They are His hands and feet and heart, ministering to us in our time of need.

Throughout the bible, in both the old and new testaments, we are reminded of God’s promise that He  will never leave us or forsake us.  He promises to be with us always.  And one of the many ways that God fulfills this promise is through those He places on our paths to help us through difficult times.

As I look back, I can see the countless times that God has been at work on my behalf. He has provided much-needed guidance and counsel through so many of the people He has put on my path.  In fact, if I consider all the people in my life, I can discern the ways in which God has used them to help me heal, mature, and grow in faith. 

And just as God uses others to help us in our times of need, God uses us too. He doesn’t waste a single heartache, tear or experience. Instead, He creates purpose and value out of our pain so that we can use it to help those around us. So, it should come as no surprise that I was able to use my most recent time in “The Perfect Storm” to support a couple of other friends who’s storms just happened to occur a bit later than my own. 

Weathering my own storm, with the support and guidance of friends, gave me a deeper understanding of what my friends were currently facing. I was able to share the hope that they so desperately needed to be reminded of. I could listen and offer them the validation that the situation is heart-hurting and fear-inducing. And lastly, I could give them the reassurance that there is healing and resolution ahead. 

The Skies Have Cleared

Fast forward to now.  The perfect storm has passed.  Honest conversations have taken place. And we have a better understanding of one another and how we can better love and respect each other moving forward.  The storm was purposeful and valuable and ultimately brought us closer together.  And, it was just one more reminder of how God is faithfully caring for me through the people He has put on my path. 

Who has God put on your path to help guide you through difficult times? Have you told him/her how God used them to minister to you?