Sometimes I get real personal with these Love Notes, and this is one of those times. A friend got some not-so-good news and is reeling with, what in the world and how in the world can this work out for good?
Surprise news is not always the kind of surprise you want to run around and tell everyone who does or does not want to listen. Sometimes the news is such that you want to bury your head and pretend it is not happening. Thankfully, in life we hopefully get more of the first kind, but I have learned not to judge too quickly the other one.
The one that comes to mind for me, but not without remembering that country song, Thank God for Unanswered Prayers, is when my husband of 16 years made like Elvis and left the building. Of course, it was not funny at all back then, but now I find many ways to joke and even praise and thank God for it. I even make jokes about the main reason for it and cannot even remember the other guilty party’s name. In fact, instead of crying and being numb, I have long wanted to write thank-you notes to what’s-their-names.
When Scott left, I thought my life was over. I was so sick with grief, shock, disappointment and heartache. I was literally sick. I felt nauseated and felt like my best friend had died, and there was no going back. I had three children who depended on me, and I felt like I could barely stand and certainly could not see a way out.
Thankfully, I had spent most of my life believing that life is always working out for me. I clung to every great belief and all the scriptures that reminded me that God always works it out for good. If I had always believed it, now was the time to believe it.
As God does what He does, He sends armies of angels when needed, and usually not before because, as I said, when they are needed. The kindest people showed up. Nurse friends helped me find something for the nausea. Friends made me things to eat when I felt like I couldn’t eat. My church was a big army of prayer warriors and comforters.
My kids rallied, and even though they were hurting and reeling with shock, they found every way to tell me, in their own way, that it would be okay. It was not okay for a bit, and we lived through that not-okay until life really, really got good.
One thing I am remembering right now as I write this is that I was a co-leader of a huge event for my school, Surfside. After I pulled myself out of bed, picked myself up by the bootstraps and constantly recited, With God all things are possible, my friend and I pulled off an amazingly huge and successful event. God’s timing was probably right on because I poured myself into serving through that event, and it helped pull me up and over.
But now to the good part.
Because we were left with NO money and NO help, and at times it felt like no hope, I had to rely on tenacity and sheer determination. I trusted God completely, and as He can do and does, my life exploded with more opportunity, more deep and abiding relationships, and I was able to build an amazing life.
That one day when I stood in my classroom, still nauseated and begging God to show me why, He eventually showed me how, and that was all I needed. He sent the most amazing man into my life who loved the world deeply, loved me deeply and was the best example of service and love to my kids.
The absolute worst thing that I felt had happened to me opened up my life to some of the best adventures and people in my life.
And I believe the same will happen for my friend.
Right now she is in the nauseating part and the doubting part, but just like she has done for so many years, I know that others, and especially God, will help turn this ship around if she will just hand over the steering wheel and trust. And I bet a year from now I will be writing a follow-up Love Note about what a blessing it became. What a joy!!!
So I imagine you too have had those moments, those events where you could not imagine a way out. My advice is to turn it over to a Power greater than yourself and just wait and see what God can do!!!
With the greatest of love and joy and gratitude,
karen
P.S. I would not have ever written my first Love Note, built my first company, found the best love ever, written books or spoken in front of others. So many things happened and so many doors opened, and somehow they all led me to all of you. Now that is a blessing I did not see coming.
