Sometimes, the verse I cling to most in the Bible is Luke
2:2a. “And it came to pass…”
Right now we’re going through a situation with our oldest
son. We don’t know how it’s going to end. Not even sure what really happened.
Unfortunately, he has lied to us so much that we can’t trust him, even when we
want to. As a result of working on “Black Friday” this past year, he was
accused of something. A felony. He denies it. There is a video that says he might
have but doesn’t really prove anything. It falls more into the category of he
says/she says. The questions are: “Did it really happen?” and “If so, was it an
accident or on purpose?” A judge is going to have to decide both things. If it
happened, and if it is determined to be deliberate, the ramifications could possibly
ruin his life.
We’re still parents even when our adult children behave
badly. We suffer and worry when “life happens” to our husband or wife. I
remember a Christian agent telling a story about one time her husband rode on
an elevator with a woman. He was an administrator in a hospital. The woman said
that he sexually harassed her. He was a Christian, denied it vehemently, but he
ended up losing his job. Guilty—even though he was innocent.
Almost the same thing happened with my husband. He worked in
a nursing home and was told “Make sure the residents do everything they can for
themselves.” Specifically, one lady, who was supposed to put on her own shoes.
His boss told him, “Do not put her
shoes on for her.” So he goes in to help her. She says “Put my shoes on.” He
tells her that he isn’t allowed to. The woman responds, “If you don’t, I will
tell administration that you abused me.” My husband chose to obey his boss and
not the woman. And as a result, he was accused of abuse. Fired from his job.
And ultimately, kicked out of nursing school even though the state decided he
was innocent. Guilty—even though he was innocent.
When things like that happen in our lives, it’s difficult to
keep our focus. On God. On our jobs. On the
rest of the family. Especially if you’re
an artist or an author and your creativity is highly dependent on minimal
stress . . . or an abundance of grace to carry you through.
You have to remind yourself, often out loud, “Breathe! This too shall pass.” The good, and the bad, and even the ugly –
they will all come to pass. But the one
constant in your life will always be there. God.
When bad things happen you have to move on. Sometimes,
moving on isn’t exactly what we imagine it will be. Sometimes it’s just getting
to a place where we’re okay with the future, whatever it holds.
Moving on isn’t always about making drastic changes. Moving
on sometimes means being sure of who you are. That way you know that whatever
the future holds, you’ll be okay.
With the case of my son, I have to be okay with whatever the
future holds. My plans for my life (or my hopes for his life) doesn’t always
equate to being God’s plan for my life (or God’s plan for his life). I have to
be willing to take God’s hand and let Him lead me into the unknown.
I can only see a few feet in front of me. God can see the
big picture. I need to hold on to that knowledge, even when it doesn’t feel
true. Even when I desperately want to take things into my own hands.
And it came to pass…
Sometimes, waiting is all you can do. There’s no other
choice but to hold tight until things calm down.
If the setbacks in my life hadn’t happened, I probably
would’ve never been here on this site as a blogger. I wouldn’t have learned to
trust God with my life, to give Him total control of the characters in my head.
I wouldn’t have a clear plan for my future.
I still don’t have all the answers—not by a long shot. But I
know that God uses our greatest pain to form the most effective launching pads
for our lives.
This too shall pass.
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| About the Author |
Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make
their home in Arkansas
Her publishing
credits include three books in the Amish
of Seymour Webster County
The Snow Globe
Victor Petersheim has left the
Amish and works on a river boat on the Mississippi River ,
spending three months on the river then having three months off. During his
off-work months he returns home to his Amish community and helps out on his
grandparents’ farm. When he returns home after his most recent absence, he
discovers his grossmammi has developed health problems and they’ve hired Esther
Beachy to be a “mother’s helper.” Victor is unsettled by this woman living in
their home, but has to accept it. Esther loves listening to Victor’s
grandmother’s stories and while puttering around in a store while the
grossmammi’s in the hospital, she discovers a snow globe that depicts an area
where the Petersheims used to live. She buys it as a gift for the grossmammi to
cheer her up during her hospitalization. Victor is touched by Esther’s gift and
her care for his grossmammi, and strives to be friendlier. Will Esther’s gentle
heart draw him back to the community? Or will he return to the river once again?
visit my
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