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“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.” Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

It was the picture perfect moment. All the pieces landed in the right place. Couldn’t have imagined a better scenario. If only life could stand still in this moment, we’d be forever grateful. Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could capture the essence of our most exhilarating moments? The place where everything lines up exactly like we thought it would. Totally blessed. Never leaving this place.

And then life happens. The dream job we landed evaporates – a casualty of downsizing. The bigger than life opportunity fades quicker than it arrived. That deal we spent endless hours preparing and brainstorming for achieved accolades and then totally unraveled. The house we settled in, decorated and made the sweetest home ever crumbles in the aftermath of a fire. The spouse who exceeded our expectations walks out with no plans to return. The wellness check unveiling excellent health misses the mark when cancer introduces a new normal.

The unplanned and unexpected pivot shift shredding all we ever dreamed possible. And the most devastating twist – we were doing all the right things, the right way. Entitlement slays us. We deserved perfect. We earned our happy ever after. We followed the rules. We stayed in the lines.

Sound familiar? We’ve probably all landed here. Left in its wake, we question and doubt. We shout words we thought would never grace our lips. We evaluate everyone else who seems to be living the life we thought we had while relinquishing all that’s been taken from us. We cry till eyes are drained, we scream until our voice is silenced and we stomp tired feet in defiance. And for a while, we close out the rest of our world for fear it will be shaken too – life simply isn’t fair.

What’s a girl to do when happy ever after fades? Yes, we have to feel and process the deep loss of dreams – excusing them or ignoring them won’t erase them. Yet God can be trusted to take today’s heartache and birth His greatest glory in us. Nothing we experience whether hard or easy is wasted. The psalmist reminds us sweet friends to firmly fix our eyes on God. Rehears His character. Wait expectantly and hope unswervingly. and watch as He resurrects the deepest joy we’ve ever known.

“Father, lift up our heads when life threatens to drown out our praise. Immerse us in Your words. Eliminate our inner cries for fair. Settle us with Your peace and comfort.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life