Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
I remember the screams, the crying, the pain, and the fear that filled our vehicle after the accident took place. So quickly life can change. One moment you’re riding along down the road having fun, and the next you’re covered in blood. Through those moments of confusion and shock an angel was there to help. A nurse was placed in the exact right spot, at the precise time to help. My human angel…God provides.
You see, I was doing something I never should’ve done. I was standing on the seat of a moving vehicle, and that vehicle was going down the highway. Safety features like seatbelts didn’t seem so important until after the accident happened. I was young, and seatbelts didn’t have the same respect as they do today. This was an age where it wasn’t even considered wrong to ride in the bed of a pickup truck.
The nurse was there with me immediately to apply pressure on a cut I received from falling and hitting my face on an open ashtray. It just missed my eye…God provides. I was little and don’t remember many details, but I remember being held, I remember the pressure from the cloth, and I remember the lights of the ambulance. The words of calmness from those there to help, gave me an assurance that everything would be fine.
I don’t remember before the accident, or even standing on that seat. I don’t even remember anything after the ambulance ride. I very rarely think about that day unless my scar has chosen to stand out just a little extra as I’m applying makeup.
The lesson learned has never left me though. A seatbelt is always worn in the vehicle and we’ve always followed laws concerning baby seats, booster seats, and seatbelts. We’ve followed the suggestions of having children ride in the backseat until a certain age or weight too. I’m also aware of how quickly something can go wrong while driving.
I’m seeing all the pain and awful things happening in the world. All the hurricanes we’ve been experiencing lately have caused great havoc to so many people, and I was wondering how to stay positive while so many are facing such devastation and loss. Is it even ok?
I see all the natural disasters, all the terrorism, all the crime, all the political turmoil, all the diseases, all the drugs, and all the pain families are going through. It seems callous to just go about life like nothing is happening outside my own, personal world. Yet, if we can’t be positive and have hope, who will help lift those who are feeling it slip away?
After coming across a quote about pain, it helped me have a new perspective on the things we go through in life. Kenji Miyazawa may not have had the same beliefs that I have, but this quote of his is something that I can learn from. He said, “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.”
I know that bad things happen to all people…both believers and nonbelievers. Some experiences are worse than others, but if you’ve lived, you’ve experienced pain. Pain changes all of us. We can’t just pretend it’s not there.
What we can do, is decide if that pain will change us for the worse or the better. Are we going to search for ways that God is still providing for us while going through the pain? Are we going to be able to use that pain to learn from and make positive changes?
I may still have that scar, but the fuel it provided is much more important and lasting, than the memory of the accident. It provided me with the fuel to be on a safer journey with my children.
I may still be getting rid of the symptoms due to a crazy bug bite, but God is using it to teach me empathy on this journey of life. He is using it to teach me the importance of slowing down and not getting focused on those things that isn’t in His will. He’s teaching me the importance of faith through all things. He’s teaching me how absolutely important it is to stay in peace during stressful times. He’s teaching me I can do things in spite of the symptoms I’m facing.
I wouldn’t have learned these lessons as quickly and profoundly if I didn’t go through the pain in order to have the fuel for the rest of my journey. I learn from the pain, but I can’t let it paralyze my life because it’s so easy to take pain that we’ve gone through and want to go into a protective shell or even turn bitter.
When I want to have my children hide in the house to protect them from ticks, I can recognize how illogical and unrealistic that is. I now know the dangers, and can use that knowledge to better protect my children. Get the bug spray and check for ticks!
What pain are you allowing to continually hurt you, instead of fueling you for this journey of life? Try to find your angels that God provides amid your pain. Be renewed in faith by knowing that God is not leaving you to deal with your situation on your own. He will hurt right along with you, but then He will use this to fuel you for a mission that will make a positive difference in this world.
Pain will happen in different stages during your life. Will you allow it to paralyze you, or use it as fuel in your journey? Whatever you’ve gone through or you’re going through look for God, look for a bright spot, and look for your human angels. Also, be the bright spot…that human angel for someone else who is in the painful spot right now.
You’re life isn’t over, it’s just getting started!
