by Yvette Whittington

With life comes disappointment, failure, sadness, and loss. All of this has the potential to have an adverse effect on the quality of your life. It is during these times you will either find the strength to overcome or let it overcome you. It’s okay to be broken, but never let it be a place you dwell in for long. Let it be temporary and allow that same overwhelming feeling of sadness or disappointment to match the determination to move forward and learn from that chapter. Having had a few chapters in my life, some came close to breaking me. In fact, they did. I remember waking up some mornings and just feeling defeated and going back to bed. I was living in the sorrow instead of letting it be fuel to not only rebound but excel and be better than I was. 

The world now is frightening and uncertain. It is important that we be mindful of how we react to all that is going on, and remember we have little eyes watching us. They learn how to cope with everyday stress by observing us. Their little minds are absorbing every sorted detail, learning how to process the way we handle our current situations. This is not the life we imagined our children and grandchildren growing up in, but it is a sad reality. The worry and doubt we carry daily will definitely play a role in our parenting. I think reassurance and guidance can distract some of those emotions we cannot control. Talk to your little ones, find out how they are feeling, validate those feelings by not brushing them under the rug like the monster under the bed. Their feelings are as real as ours and their comfort, often found in you and me. Kids live in the moment; you don’t learn to see past the moment you are in until you reach a certain level of maturity. During that time, you hold their future in your hands. It is our duty to make sure we assure them there is a tomorrow, and this moment is just that a moment. Teaching them how to cope is a life skill, a tool that will sharpen their ability to let defeat be the fuel to their victory.

Think of the worst possible thing that could ever happen to you. Imagine being in that moment. Then think about those that live that nightmare and more right now. You will always find solace if you look outside your life amid a tragedy and realize there is always someone who is going through the same or worse moment in their life. If you can extend your hand to those that are suffering, because of a hardship, loss of a loved one or an everyday issue that is weighting heavy on them, you will find the problems that arise in your life will become minute. 

Our faith in God allows you to cope amid the chaos. His grace covers our mind, our heart and our soul from things this world uses to destroy us. He promises this life is temporary; it is just a tiny speckle of our lives. He is the way the truth and the light and only by him will you one day be free from a world that is unforgiving.

Look to him in your hour of darkness, reach for him and he will reach back. We are not meant to walk this journey alone. God will put people in your path and circumstances that show favor. Don’t live broken. His grace is present in our lives. You just have to step out in faith, and he will heal your brokenness.