Proverbs 27:1 – “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

December 13, 2022 is a day I’ll never forget. It was my daughter, Anna’s golden birthday. We had already celebrated it the previous weekend for which I’m thankful for. The kids and I went to school, and my husband went to his chaplaincy job. It was pretty much a normal day around here. After school, my husband took our oldest daughter Emily to work at the local grocery store in town. It was on his way home while waiting to take a left into our church driveway that a medical transport van rear ended him and pushed him into oncoming traffic. I won’t go into a lot of detail, but suffice it to say, it was a pretty bad accident. When I went out to the scene and saw the car, I wasn’t sure if he was still alive. He was in the hospital/rehab for five weeks, and came home in a wheelchair. It was definitely a difficult time for our family. I don’t think anyone is ever totally prepared for something like this, but I have to say God’s grace and the love and prayers of others got us through that time. Trials and difficulties come into our lives, most of the time out of nowhere, and while they may catch us off-guard, there are some things that we can do ahead of time that will help to strengthen and prepare us. None of us are perfect, and we all fail. In fact, I wish I would have been better prepared for my trial. Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy! So when the SUN is shining in our lives, we must let the SON shine in by:

1. Striving to remain humble. Realize that all we are and all we have is because of the Lord. Having a humble attitude as we go through a trial will allow the Lord to teach us things that we need to learn in that trial.

2. Strengthening our relationship with God. When bad things happen, it’s our natural instinct to cry out to God, but may we have a strong and close relationship with God prior to the trial to guide us and give us the strength we need. 

3. Sharing the love of Christ with others. As we are diligent and bold in our witnessing now, it will be easier to share with others what God is doing in our life during our difficult time. Our trial can be a testimony to others and as a result, many may turn to Christ!

4. Securing our relationships with others. During the trial is when we need people close to us to help and support us. If we’ve pushed everyone away, they may not be there for us when we need them the most. 

I’m sure there are more things we could add to this list, but these are just some of the simple things that we need to be reminded of. God is so good to us! I’m thankful for His protection and sparing the life of my husband. What a trial that turned out to be, but looking back I can see God’s hand in all of it. May we let the SON shine in during the good times so that we are better prepared for that next trial. Have a wonderful day ladies!!