WHY NOT ME!
I am sure there have been many times in your life that you have thought, “Why me?” When bad things happen, we immediately want to question the reason for them. Why is this happening to me? How can this be happening to me? Why would a kind and loving God let this tragedy strike?
When we encounter times of loss these are probably some of the first thoughts to enter our minds. Losing a child, spouse, family member, or friend is painful and at many times completely unbearable. As Christians we struggle with loss in a very unique way. There are those of us who question God and His sovereign ways and wonder why He would allow this terrible pain to be brought into our life. Even though we say “Lord, I trust you. I know that your ways are better and you have a plan to do great things in my life” , we forget all we know and believe when tragedy strikes. We ask “WHY ME?’
There are also those of us who, in the pain and grief, cling to God and call out to Him, knowing full well that the only way through the heartache of the loss is to lean on His promises. The word of God says “ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” – Psalms 73:26. In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord says “ For I know the plans I have for you…….plans to prosper you, and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” God’s truth and his promise to never leave you and never forsake you is written countless times throughout the bible. It is by leaning on that promise and knowing that His love for you is unconditional, and never ending that allows you to say in the midst of the loss “ Why NOT Me”
There is no easy answer to overcoming loss. It is a slow process filled with valleys and peaks. Some days seem hopeless. It feels like the darkness will never end. Then there are moments when the heaviness will lift and it will appear that you can make it through. There is hope and there is joy. The journey is not easy, and it is not a short one. It is an extremely heavy burden to carry on our own. You can overcome the loss, but you can not do it alone. You must lean on the Lord and use His strength to lessen the burden. One of my favorite songs to remind me of this is “Praise you in the Storm” by Casting Crowns.
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
This week, I challenge you to praise Him in your storm. As you navigate the loss and grief that you have experienced, know that you can lean on your heavenly Father to comfort you, to carry you, and to heal you .
“ Not only so, but we also glory in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character hope” – Romans 5:3
Remember.. Stay Calm and Be Empowered.
