My life has been tumultuous the past couple of months. A car accident, fractured finger, loss of my car, decreased income for two months, and even a tornado touched down in my hometown. When things like these happen to me, especially in a short time span, I ask, “Why?”. The beauty in this is that I’ve been learning to instead ask, “Why did this happen to me. God, what are you trying to teach me? This perspective allows me to shift from a self-pity view to more of an open learning outlook.

The car accident was pretty serious and a total unexpected fluke. I had moved over to allow another larger vehicle to get by me on a narrow gravel road but got too close to the edge and slipped down into a deep, rocky ravine, causing significant damage to both my car and my hand. Over the next few weeks, I was suddenly without a vehicle and unable to work at my main nursing job due to limited lifting with my left hand for an extended period. These two changes initially sent me into a spiral of depression, questioning my self-worth and fear. But instead of allowing that to continue, I decided to reframe my mind and stop wallowing and instead learn something and allow God to speak to me. I prayed for Him to help me see what He wanted me to see in this. And God did! He taught me it was OK to slow down, spend a little more time with my kids, and take time to heal, and He would work out the other details. So, I was incredibly grateful for that lesson.

The next event was a severe storm that swept across Ohio, a tornado that caused considerable damage to my property, and a 4-day loss of power and water.   My husband was out of state during this time, making it even more stressful, and this could have easily led me into negative thoughts again, but I tried hard to look for the good and the positive in the situation. God came through again with some amazing lessons. It was encouraging to see all my neighbors helping each other through this, and even my children really impressed me with their willingness to be helpful not only to me but to elderly neighbors around us. That was beautiful to watch. Also, my mother-in-law came and helped me immensely, which made me feel closer to her in a way I never really felt before, and as we cleared giant tree limbs and found ways to get by without power and water, I gained a deep appreciation for her and her servant’s heart.   Somehow, we all truly enjoyed each other’s company on those hot, no AC days, and I was so thankful for that. We even made some fun memories during that time.

It all boils down to the fact that God can show us beauty and blessing in any trial if we just seek His face and ask Him to see what He wants us to see. It is such a comforting and empowering discovery to learn lessons from losses. 

God bless, friends!