We recently had family that received shocking news of a friends’ death. They are completely devastated by it.
Obviously none of us are prepared for the times when life shocks us. It makes us realize how little we control about life. Life is a very unpredictable journey. Sometimes we make choices and other times things happen we never expected.
Sudden death of a loved one.
Bad report from a doctor.
Unexpected lay off from a job.
Car accident.
Shocks of life happen whether we are prepared for them or not.
Even as a believer, I don’t always react well to the unexpected. My faith still gets shaken and when shocking moments happen, I have to pull myself together to face the circumstances I am being dealt and remind myself that God is in control.
I’m not going to quote Bible verses to you or give you some Christian cliches. I won't lead you to believe that it’s easy. It is not. It takes courage to get through the moments which totally blindside you.
When shocking things happen, we have to take time to absorb the shock. There is no shortcut. We have to give ourselves time to feel what has happened. I know that none of us like to feel pain and we will do all that we can to avoid it. The truth is that we have to feel the pain and the only way to get through it is to go through it. No, it’s not much fun but necessary. We then have to regroup and adjust to it. We have to press on.
The reality is that life is not ours to control. Sure, it seems like it can be manageable when bills are paid, everyone is healthy, marriage is going well and work is good. But when life shocks you it can totally shatter your world.
In times my life has been shocked, I often listen to a song in my playlist called “Made Me Glad” by Hillsong. When I’m at the depth of my pain, this part of the song breaks me:
You are my shield, my strength
My portion, Deliverer
My shelter, string tower
My very present help in time of need.
This is the way I cope. We all have a way that works for us. We have to endure somehow and survive the shocks that life hits us with.
