In Light of Tragedy

There’s been  so much illness and death on every hand  lately that it almost makes Murphy’s Law seem factual. Thankfully, I hadn’t been directly impacted, but people I know have been bombarded with tragedy after tragedy so I wonder “Why not Me?”

Now don’t get me wrong…I’ve had my share of problems coming and going, but I guess I’ve learned to take the good and  bad as good regardless of what has happened. A friend told me once that the way I reacted to “certain issues” was as if I were numb. I  pondered for a while and discovered I wasn’t numb at all. Rather, I’d gotten to a place where I  was unable to care more than I should have.

I sat back a couple of days ago and poured out to the LORD how truly grateful I am for every little issue, snag, and setback because I realized that I would not be where I am now had I had it any easier. I’m not talking about the physical “where I am”but the spiritual “where I know I need to be”  I know that I can’t function without being in HIS presence.

I wholeheartedly thank God for those who left my side when it seemed everything was falling apart. I understand that I’d been trying to hold on to what I thought I needed to be “right.”

WRONG!!!

I’ve found peace in the unimaginable lately and I realize that I only have God to thank for it.To us, a burden is just a burden, but to GOD it’s just a building block for our spiritual maturity. 

So whether it’s cancer, divorce, or even loss of a loved one, the real tragedy is that sometimes we only realize how much we need the Lord after the fact.  Yes, surrendering all to God comes with sacrifices, but nothing less than we can bear.  Because of this promise, I gladly give all my burdens to God because He can do so much more with them than I can.