Let’s be honest. We all wish life was perfect and that we never had any ups and downs, but that’s not the way this whole thing works. Sometimes life is hard, I mean really hard. It takes time to recover from these hardships, but finding peace in your Almighty Father, and knowing that He has a greater plan is something marvelous. Psalm 29:11 states, “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” When times get hard, lean on His understanding, and know that He will give you peace.
April 27, 2016 marked the 5-year anniversary of the devastating tornadoes that tore apart my town and most of the southeast. Tuscaloosa, Alabama became a war zone that day-- everything was leveled. It was life changing, and one of those horrible natural disasters that you wish were a dream, and you could wake up from it. But like I’ve heard over and over, it wasn’t April 27 that was the big part of the story-- it was what came after. Everyone came together as a community, and because of that we came out stronger. There is a song by Laura Story called “Blessings” that states, “What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy? What if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are your mercies in disguise?”
The words just really hit home with me about this situation and the tragedy of it all. I think that it paints a perfect example of finding peace in the hard times. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful-- he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” God will never give us more than we can take, and He will always provide, you just have to stay faithful, even in the storms.
Five years later, Tuscaloosa is thriving more than ever. We all lost something that day that we will never be able to get back, but putting faith in our neighbors, our community, and our Father, helped us through it all. If anything, it has made me more thankful for all the wonderful things I have been blessed with in life. So take the time to be thankful for the little things, and help a neighbor out when they are in need, because in this crazy life, we all need a little extra help now and then. And always remember to stay faithful to the big man upstairs, and He will carry you through your struggles.
