Do you continuously get knocked down by life's storms? Restore peace and calm to your days by knowing who's in your center.
We’ve all experienced it in one form or another. The dreaded news that rips you out of a perfectly ordinary day with no apologies and slams you down in the middle of your own private hurricane.
The script plays out in an endless array of jumbled up scenarios:
… the sudden loss of a loved one
… a life altering diagnosis
… the escapades of an unfaithful spouse
No matter the tragic news, the resulting emotions all stem from the same family of fear. The black sheep siblings Uncertainty, Overwhelm, and Despair all rush in at once and seek to knock you off your feet. The question is, do they succeed?
Imagine what life would look like if upon receiving that potentially devastating phone call, you were able to take it in stride. What if by knowing who stood with you in the center of the worst of life’s storms you were strong enough to ride it out, intact and whole?
I can pinpoint my own past snapshots of life changing news and in a second relive the nightmarish details.
… the fatal drunk driving accident in 1991 that took my cousin Betsy’s life
… the week in 2008 where within a few days time the sudden closure of banks wiped out two thirds of our family business.
… the morning in 2018 that both my father in law and my father experienced a life ending heart attack and stroke.
These events of my past found me ill equipped, they threw me off balance and sent me reeling into an emotional abyss. In those moments I wore fear around me like a buttoned up winter coat on a hot summer day. It suffocated the life right out of me.
Contrast that to the phone call I received this week. Driving home from my morning workout, I was having my usual conversation with God.
“Lord,” I prayed, “continue to prepare Todd and I for what you have for us. Transform us into the vessels that you created us to be. Give us the strength for whatever is next.”
Seconds later, an unfamiliar number pops up on my phone. I grudgingly answer the call thinking it’s a solicitor, instead it’s my husband. “I’ve been in an accident on my mountain bike, I need you to come quickly.” At that precise moment, a surreal feeling of calm and peace filled me. I did not know what to expect, I did not know the extent of his injuries, I did not know what the future would hold. Yet, this time around I knew without a second’s hesitation who was in my center and I leaned into that with all my weight. Instead of the heavy coat of fear, I felt comforted by the blanket of God’s love for both of us.
When I found Todd out in the field, he had been laying unable to move in a muddy concrete drainage culvert. A hiker had “just happened” to come by that way and find him. His color was ashen gray, he was cold, wet and in shock.The ambulance took him away and we later discovered the extent of his injuries. 4 broken ribs, broken pelvic girdle, broken hip was the final score. While not exactly a walk in the park, there was no internal bleeding, he did not hit his head, he would heal. Thankfulness and gratitude for the goodness of God flooded our family. We knew who was in our center, and we would get through this.
Like the core of a freshly sawn tree trunk, I have this timeless, calming picture of being “centered”.
In order to create lasting change and growth in my life, my center needs to be occupied by principles that are changeless. The four main factors that we search for in life are guidance, wisdom, security and power.
Guidance – gives a source of direction in our life
Wisdom – allows us to have perspective, discernment, comprehension
Security – a sense of personal worth and value, our self-esteem
Power – gives us the strength and capacity to accomplish our life’s mission
If those factors are riding in my center, the only one that I know who possesses these in an infinite and changeless manner are God himself.
He alone guides and directs my steps.
He alone is the author of all wisdom.
He alone tells me I am worthy.
He alone gives me the strength to accomplish the mission that He created just for me.
He alone will stand in my center.
End of story.
In the past I would let the relationship with my husband or our children ride shotgun in my center. I would give permission for circumstances to take hold of me and paralyze my actions. I would allow duties to the church and others to occupy my life. I lived each day wallowing in the emotions of others, wearing them close like a tightly fitting garment. I was ineffective, relentlessly putting out the fires of daily chaos, one hundred percent off balance.
Until the day I said, “No more.”
Today, I know better so I do better. With the changeless principles of my all mighty God riding in the core of my being, I go to Him first to get my marching orders. Like the center of an ageless oak tree, all of life permeates and surrounds the center, ring after ring, but nothing can invade it. When the wildest of storms assails me, I may get battered and muddied, but I will remain whole and intact. I know the One who’s in my center, and that has made all the difference.
What about you? Do you find yourself getting knocked down continuously by life’s storms? Are you taking on the emotions and moods of others as if they were your own? Is the aftermath making you sick with anxiety and worry?
Allow God to sit in the center of your life. Know that His principles are changeless and that by placing Him in that most trusted seat, you will begin to experience a joy immeasurable even in the midst of storms.
