I had no idea I was going to do this today, but as I sat down with my journal for the first time in over three weeks and wrote the date, my heart quickened with realization.
November 30th.
Two things came instantly to mind.
This is the 5 year anniversary of the 7.0 Anchorage earthquake.
A beautiful little girl named Journey turns 4 today.
What a contrast! TRAUMA or MIRACLE.
As I stare at these two sentences it just floors me. Which one will I focus on? I’m sure as you read this your own trauma quickly comes to mind. But does your miracle as well? Why are we so quick to focus on the trauma, the bad? Because we are human. Our instinct is to rest our focus there. We love to commiserate together. Some how we end up feeling vindicated and left with the illusion of a lighter load. But in reality nothing has changed.
What if instead of focusing on a day that shook me to my core…literally and emotionally, I focused on the day a year later when a baby, who had been longed for for years finally came into the world? The miracle of new life when they had all but given up hope. And do you know what happened when I began to dwell on the miracle? Others came to mind…
The friend who beat cancer and has taught me to treat each day as a gift.
The other friend who is in the middle of her fight but has not lost hope or her confidence in the Lord.
My marriage that has aged well and passed the test of time.
I live in Alaska and I’m not mad about it.
My three children have reached adulthood and are striving to honor God with their lives.
This one is the one I take for granted most of all…The sun rises everyday. God has chosen to give me another day of life in which he is carefully weaving my story. One that has led to some of the richest relationships I didn’t even know I needed. But God did. He weaves together these little miracles for us everyday. some we notice, others just seem like coincidence, or even worse, we miss them entirely.
Trauma happens. It’s real and we have to process through it, each one at our own pace and in our own way. There is no time limit. There is no pattern. God knows this. Often times it is hard to remember He is there. Our vision is so clouded over with grief. But he hasn’t gone anywhere. He is there with exactly what we need. We either see it and are overwhelmed with his love, or we miss it because it is all just too heavy and we can’t lift our head. But when we ask him for the strength to seek him in the midst of our grief and trauma, he rescues us. If all you can do is lay your hands open before him weeping it’s ok. He never leaves you empty handed. It’s because of the biggest miracle of all that we can even come to him.
His resurrection.
If you can’t find joy in anything today start there. His MIRACLE is enough. He rose and conquered death…trauma…grief…
His miracle never disappoints. Let his steadfast love surround you.
Psalm 32:10-11
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Jude 24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Chris our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.