When was the last “bomb” that went off in your life?
Perhaps you have had a significant loss of some type that just stunned you and forever changed your world. Loss of a loved one, a job, health, freedom, etc.
Perhaps it was a while back or maybe you are in the midst of one right now. We are often taken completely by surprise. The aftermath is a mix of confusion, hurt, disappointment, fear, and more questions than answers!
I had one such bomb recently. My job is as a national clinical trainer, where I train medical and behavioral health staff on a variety of mental health topics. It has affords me the ability to travel around the country, create training on subjects I am passionate about, and do what I love most, public speaking. To boot, most of the time I get to do it in yoga-pants from the comfort of my home!
I've never had a job I loved so dearly and wanted to stay in for a long time. In a company of thousands, there are only ten of us. I popped into a team meeting one morning where my boss sadly informed us that the company was restructuring and half of our team would be laid off. This was was completely out-of-the-blue and in my fog, I vaguely remember asking, “What did you just say?!?”
The first thing that got through was the realization that I was safe. I quickly looked through the participant list to see who else was safe and deduced which of my friends had just lost their jobs. I started to cry so I put myself on mute. Despite leadership's adamant reassurances that these would be the only cuts, uncertainty still lingers for me. My safe haven would never be the same.
To say it was a life-altering bomb that went off in my life is an understatement.
And no matter how many times I bring to mind that God is in control, it still hurts and fear still manages to creep in even though it is unwelcome.
What we do when those unwelcome painful moments come is critical! Will we face the pain or circumvent it and leap over it?
We may try to force ourselves to believe something even when the reality is slapping us in the face and asking the tough questions. Questions that make us uncomfortable, because they may just call into question what God is doing or allowing right now.
God is big enough to handle that torrent of emotion, so let Him. He can take your questions and I promise He has answers!
We may seek out others to tell us what we need to do. And, if you find that rare gem that can sit with you in your pain and just "be" then that is a blessing. We were made for relationship!
But, if we are honest, most of us are uncomfortable in that deep emotional space with others, as we just want the person to feel better and move on. As well-meaning Christians, we are quick to hand out “truth” that we feel will bring comfort and fix the problem regardless if the person is ready for it. I have been guilty of that.
We do this with others and we do this with ourselves!
I don’t know about you, but as a Christian, I often feel the pressure to handle every situation correctly! To model certain attitudes or behaviors that exude dignity and grace in the midst of suffering. But I seem to fail at this time and time again and wonder what is wrong with me that I can’t seem to pull that off!
Perhaps you feel that pressure to?
We know the answers in Scripture, but they seem obscured by our fear and disappointment as we feverishly attempt to get a handle on it all. We feel this need to get over the pain, dust ourselves off, and move on when perhaps we are just not ready yet.
Hear me on this… God has NO problem sitting in the pain with you… for as long as it takes!!