You may be going along your daily routine then something knocks you for a
loop? What do you do when the rug gets pulled out from beneath you?
It may be:
A Diagnosis
A Pink Slip
A Divorce
A Sudden Death
Whatever the sucker punch is, it
comes out of nowhere and slugs you right in the gut; you feel like you are
going to be sick. You don’t know what to do. You’re fearful, overwhelmed,
panicked, angry, scared, and alone.
When you finally can breathe, what do you do? Where do you
turn?
Here are a some places to start:
Begin with a Support System:
Your family, friends, coworkers, counselor, pastor—anyone who can come
alongside and help when you need an objective spin and encouragement.
Prayer – I have
found during times of crisis, I have trouble praying. I am caught up in the
middle of the turmoil and it’s difficult to pray. So having people who will
pray for you is essential.
Cling to Hope –
God promises to never leave us and He will travel this rough road with you.
Allow yourself to
grieve – Grieving is a natural process that takes us through to healing.
It’s painful yet productive. There are five stages of grief* so it takes time.
Be Thankful for something each day—this helps to keep our focus
positive. There is always something good, no matter how small, even in the
midst of the bad. Keep a list of these blessings handy to refer to for
encouragement.
Look Up – The
Lord promises to bring something good out of our pain. His plans are for our
good not for our harm. **
How about you? How have you coped through a difficult
situation?
Next time, I will share a story of a New Beginning!
Stay
tuned….
Jeanne
* Five stages of grief are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance
** Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:1
Day 16 - 31 Day Blog Challenge
I've been through many a loop, as I'm sure most people have. The one that comes to mind immediately is when my husband was diagnosed with severe congestive heart failure 7 years ago. We were told that he could die at any moment of cardiac arrest. It's been a long road, but God has brought us through. David's heart function has actually improved, which surprises his doctors. I went through every point you listed, especially the grieving. Turns out that I needed a healing of my own...
ReplyDeleteThe day to day of not knowing is so difficult, Carol. Thanks for sharing your story. I have discovered some things myself about grieving...there was a time I was stuck in the anger stage because moving on hurt so much!
ReplyDeleteAbout 6 weeks ago, I lost my 8 year old dog, my best buddy. It was definitely a sucker punch (completely unexpected) and I agree with everything you mentioned. I could not have made it through without my rock solid support system of friends, family and my remaining sweet dog. The hardest part was to allow myself to be sad without feeling guilty. After a week or so, the rest of the world was "back to normal" and I was still reeling. I have had to be very patient and gentle with myself. Thanks for your reminders!
ReplyDeleteLosing a pet is devastating! They are such a part of your family--your life. Thanks for sharing your story and I hope you will begin to heal. I understand when you said that a few weeks later, life goes on around you but you are still reeling. I have experienced that too. I know everyone always asks, "will you get another dog?" What do you think?
ReplyDelete