| Life Lessons © Ferna Lary Mills |
I had a dream that I was in the operating room waiting for the anesthesia to take
effect, as the surgeon stood over me with scalpel in hand. He looked so young. With
slurred speech, I managed to ask, "How old are you?"
He smiled and replied, "Seventeen. Why do you ask?"
In a panic, I blurted out, "And you're a licensed surgeon?"
He grinned and said, "Why, no ma'm. I haven't even graduated high school yet. But
don't you worry. I've got the hang of this, I think."
That's pretty ridiculous, I must admit, but it brings about a very valid point. There is a
time and a season for everything. As a surgeon must complete a certain amount of
schooling and internship in order to qualify to do surgery, so must we complete
certain things at certain times in order to achieve a certain purpose.
My life has been filled with trials, as I'm sure yours has also. But I look back and
realize that with each trial, a valuable life lesson has been learned, even in times of
tragedy. It even seems that each trial has only served to prepare me for the next one
which is usually much tougher than the last.
I remember when I first began having problems with my son and I was so devastated.
Looking back, those problems seem so minor compared to the problems he and I
faced so later. Yet, had I been faced with these trials in reverse, I would have been
completely unprepared to deal with them. The prior "life lessons" prepared me for
trials of today. They made me much stronger. They made me re-examine and reaffirm
my faith.
It's scary in a way because I begin to think, "What's next?" But I know God's timing is
perfect and with each day, He teaches me new things, new ways to cope, and
reminds me that His strength is sufficient for anything I must go through.
A child in kindergarten cannot understand algebra and biology until he has completed
certain other courses first. It's a learning process. He must first learn basic math and
basic science before proceeding on to harder concepts.
In that same vein, a construction worker cannot grasp the many concepts of
aerodynamics without proper training. Nor can an astronaut understand gene splitting
without specialized training.
In a sense, life IS a training class. I believe that every day we learn something new,
meet someone new, or see something in a different way that gives us a new concept.
It may not be a conscious thing and we may go years without ever realizing that in fact
we have been learning. But the process is continual every day of our life.
One day, I spent some time reflecting back on my trials and wondering what purpose
they served. I wish I could list them all here, but you wouldn't believe I had actually
gone through all of that. It would read like a bad novel. In fact, sometimes I have a
hard time believing I went through them either, but I did. Life has been full of crazy
stuff. Off -the-wall stuff. Stuff they don't even make movies about because it's too
weird and no one would believe it.
But then I realized that God had a plan for my life, and I began to look back on all my
trials as learning experiences for my great audition. For you see, God wants me to be
a witness to others about His greatness, His strength, His unfailing love, and His
faithfulness. How could I witness to others on His behalf if I had never witnessed His
greatness first hand? How could I have ever witnessed His qualities, if I had never
fully depended on Him?
I would like to think that I would have fully depended on God for all my needs, even if
my life had been worry-free. But I know that's not true. For in my greatest times of
weakness, His greatness was magnified! In my deepest sorrows did I become so
close to him that sometimes I believed the tears rolling down my cheeks were His very
own.
Through each trial, He has never failed me. His is eternally faithful. He never
changes. Now, through Rainbow Faith, He has allowed me to tell so many others of
His greatness. Rainbow Faith has been online now for over five years and He has
blessed me more times than I can count during the course of this ministry.
My prayer is that you will come to know Him as your truest friend, for He loves you as
much as He does me and He is there for you every step of the way. Life is hard and
there are many lessons to learn, but He will guide you through each one and give you
every ounce of strength you need to endure.
There is no need for you to face your trials alone, or to go through your grief alone.
There is Someone greater than us who is here for you and is only waiting for you to
reach out to Him. I only know this because I have reached out for Him and He is
always there. Always.
God bless you as you travel through your "life lessons". Just keep in mind that with
God you can never fail. He promises.
effect, as the surgeon stood over me with scalpel in hand. He looked so young. With
slurred speech, I managed to ask, "How old are you?"
He smiled and replied, "Seventeen. Why do you ask?"
In a panic, I blurted out, "And you're a licensed surgeon?"
He grinned and said, "Why, no ma'm. I haven't even graduated high school yet. But
don't you worry. I've got the hang of this, I think."
That's pretty ridiculous, I must admit, but it brings about a very valid point. There is a
time and a season for everything. As a surgeon must complete a certain amount of
schooling and internship in order to qualify to do surgery, so must we complete
certain things at certain times in order to achieve a certain purpose.
My life has been filled with trials, as I'm sure yours has also. But I look back and
realize that with each trial, a valuable life lesson has been learned, even in times of
tragedy. It even seems that each trial has only served to prepare me for the next one
which is usually much tougher than the last.
I remember when I first began having problems with my son and I was so devastated.
Looking back, those problems seem so minor compared to the problems he and I
faced so later. Yet, had I been faced with these trials in reverse, I would have been
completely unprepared to deal with them. The prior "life lessons" prepared me for
trials of today. They made me much stronger. They made me re-examine and reaffirm
my faith.
It's scary in a way because I begin to think, "What's next?" But I know God's timing is
perfect and with each day, He teaches me new things, new ways to cope, and
reminds me that His strength is sufficient for anything I must go through.
A child in kindergarten cannot understand algebra and biology until he has completed
certain other courses first. It's a learning process. He must first learn basic math and
basic science before proceeding on to harder concepts.
In that same vein, a construction worker cannot grasp the many concepts of
aerodynamics without proper training. Nor can an astronaut understand gene splitting
without specialized training.
In a sense, life IS a training class. I believe that every day we learn something new,
meet someone new, or see something in a different way that gives us a new concept.
It may not be a conscious thing and we may go years without ever realizing that in fact
we have been learning. But the process is continual every day of our life.
One day, I spent some time reflecting back on my trials and wondering what purpose
they served. I wish I could list them all here, but you wouldn't believe I had actually
gone through all of that. It would read like a bad novel. In fact, sometimes I have a
hard time believing I went through them either, but I did. Life has been full of crazy
stuff. Off -the-wall stuff. Stuff they don't even make movies about because it's too
weird and no one would believe it.
But then I realized that God had a plan for my life, and I began to look back on all my
trials as learning experiences for my great audition. For you see, God wants me to be
a witness to others about His greatness, His strength, His unfailing love, and His
faithfulness. How could I witness to others on His behalf if I had never witnessed His
greatness first hand? How could I have ever witnessed His qualities, if I had never
fully depended on Him?
I would like to think that I would have fully depended on God for all my needs, even if
my life had been worry-free. But I know that's not true. For in my greatest times of
weakness, His greatness was magnified! In my deepest sorrows did I become so
close to him that sometimes I believed the tears rolling down my cheeks were His very
own.
Through each trial, He has never failed me. His is eternally faithful. He never
changes. Now, through Rainbow Faith, He has allowed me to tell so many others of
His greatness. Rainbow Faith has been online now for over five years and He has
blessed me more times than I can count during the course of this ministry.
My prayer is that you will come to know Him as your truest friend, for He loves you as
much as He does me and He is there for you every step of the way. Life is hard and
there are many lessons to learn, but He will guide you through each one and give you
every ounce of strength you need to endure.
There is no need for you to face your trials alone, or to go through your grief alone.
There is Someone greater than us who is here for you and is only waiting for you to
reach out to Him. I only know this because I have reached out for Him and He is
always there. Always.
God bless you as you travel through your "life lessons". Just keep in mind that with
God you can never fail. He promises.
| A Christian Grief Ministry |
Life After Loss |