By: Donna Clark
About three years ago, I decided that my husband and I needed a furry companion. It took a few months of convincing my hubby that this was just what we needed, and after selling him on the idea, we welcomed Embers, a dog rescue from Kentucky. Not really sure what breed she was, we consulted Google. From that world of “perfectly precise information,” we determined she is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. I had never heard of such; however, I should have paid close attention to the retriever blood line.
One night before Ember’s bedtime, I clipped on her leash and outside we went for her potty time. As soon as I opened the door to the great outer world, she bolted for some critter she had spotted in the back yard of our country home. The hunt was on and she was in Heaven! Unfortunately, I was not. I found myself face planted on the ground. I had to take a few seconds just to make sure all my limbs were still intact, and after getting back up on my feet, I was so thankful to know I still had all my teeth, my nose was in the correct place, and thanks to the good Lord, my glasses even survived. I was not expecting that terrifying moment; if I had known what was going to happen, I would have prepared myself. A funny story about me and my dog, but a parallel to our lives.
Out of nowhere, completely unexpected, we can find ourselves pulled down, face planted on the ground, life has hit and hit hard. We assess the damage and now we wonder how, or even if, we will survive the traumatic event. It can be the death of someone we love or the death of a marriage. It can be words spoken from an unbridled tongue. The loss of a job, a friend, a status, a false accusation, a betrayal. Whatever caused us to hit the ground, the unexpected blow that came from out of nowhere has left us hurt and damaged. We emerge from the blow we’ve taken with a feeling that all the wind has been knocked out of our sails. The pain is real and can’t be denied. The question now is how do we deal, how do we recover from such a traumatic event?
I’ve experienced pain from the unexpected. I’ve tried to make sense of it all, determine a source, a reason, in hopes of fixing what is broken, but I have found that there are situations that seem to come with no explanation. One thing I have found though, my ability to survive the unexpected will be according to what I am anchored to. In this life there are many things – finances, career opportunities, social status, friends, or family that we can anchor ourselves to. But in the times of dire need and crippling circumstances, those things will not give us the security we long for.
One thing that is constant in the midst of the chaos that is taking place in mine and your life right now is that ‘God is.’ No that wasn’t a typo. God is. That’s the statement. This is one truth on which we can rely, that the all-powerful God is still every bit God. Still faithful, still mighty, still all-knowing, still God. The all-sufficient God who introduced himself to Moses as I AM in Exodus 3:14 still is. When God said, “I am who I am,” that pretty much summed it all up.
No matter the situation, crisis, pain, our God is still able to hold us, protect us, and strengthen us. He never leaves and He never forsakes. I’ve prayed for pain to go away immediately, to lay my head down one night and the next morning wake to birds singing and all would be right with the world, but unfortunately it rarely happens that way. However, the process, moving through the difficulty, as long as I stayed anchored to God and His word, only allows me to learn more about Him, grow in my faith in Him, and receive strength from Him. I tell God often He is my best friend. There is no one else that sees
me and knows me, loves me and cares for me as He does. And He can be the same best friend for you in your time of hurt and need, if you’ll allow Him to be. He can be your “I am.”
As you go about your day, be encouraged by this scripture: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things” (Philippians 4:6-8).
By: Donna Clark
February 21, 2025
