Monday, May 9, 2011

Flood Damage

I thought you would enjoy this from Women of Faith's Patsy Clairmont...

“I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” says the Lord. —Jeremiah 30:17


After Hurricane Katrina blasted the Gulf Coast, officials warned that it would take a lot of time, money, and cooperation to restore people’s lives to anything resembling normal. New Orleans experienced not only damage caused by rain and wind but also from cracks in the levies, which caused severe flooding.

At one time, my life was a wash with emotional whirlpools, I felt hopeless. I didn’t want to pray. . . . I felt like my power lines were down and fear rampaged its windy way through my life, leaving a swath of instability. I could feel my life cracking apart—my emotions were erratic, my relationships were troubling, I was flooded with regret, and my future was dim.

That is, until I committed to rolling up my sleeves and doing the hard work of recovery. That meant I had to begin hauling away the debris of anger and fear, repairing the wind-damaged roof of my mind, and become willing to receive outside assistance from wise counselors.

Waiting for all the broken pieces of a life to be reworked is neither fast nor easy, but the end result is transformation. Nothing is more satisfying than to see God’s light peering through. It changes everything.

—Patsy Clairmont