This is a reprint of a blog I wrote in 2009. It was written after a series of tragedies changed my life. This blog was God’s reminder to me that I needed to move on. It didn’t matter that I had been broken and beat up by the storm. God had a place for me. He loved me and still wanted me to work with Him. Out of this realization, I wrote a series of lessons called “Broken But Not Trash: How God Recycles People”. This will be my new blog series. Please join me as I revisit the valuable lessons God used to heal me from the damage caused by the storms of life.

“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest— I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”” (Psalm 55:4-8)

There have been times in my life when I have been in anguish. I have felt that the storms of life were flooding my soul, and I was going to drown. Actually this happens to everyone. My problem was that I often chose (maybe by default) to stay in the middle of the horror that was overwhelming me. Through Biblical study, prayer and the insight of other believers, I have learned that I am often beset by fear and trembling because I am making stupid choices.
The fact is everyone encounters at last one shipwreck from the storms of life, most people more than one. It shouldn’t surprise us when it happens. It surprised me. I was caught totally off guard.
I found myself travelling along unaware of how the storm was growing. I was feeling a little seasick. I knew the waves were growing and becoming powerful. I didn’t worry too much. I was trusting in the ship that I thought was strong enough to carry me. I was oblivious to the pending disaster.
The storm grew out of control. There was nothing I could do. To my amazement, all of my thoughts and plans for my trip were about to be destroyed. “Quick! Sheri, do something”, I thought. I tried to bubble gum the hull together. I tied the sail onto the mast with cheap thread. All was to no avail. The ship in which I had travelled and put my confidence was broken and destroyed.
It is already apparent that I had made a few errors. For starters, I shouldn’t have had confidence in anything other than God. I also shouldn’t have wasted my time on childish attempts to fix the ship. I should have been learning how to swim! The bad moves didn’t stop there, and it becomes even more pathetic.
I was soon soaking wet, sinking into the raging seas. My first instinct was to grab a hold of the wreckage. I pulled some junk together so I could stay afloat. I held tenaciously to the debris believing I would die if I let go. Ok, that isn’t such a terrible idea initially, but if I continue to hang on instead of seeking and planning for safety, I will eventually grow weak and tired. The opportunity for sinking into spiritual oblivion increases with each passing moment.
I couldn’t bring myself to let go. I was holding tightly to pieces of garbage because I still recognized them. In my hypothermic and shocked state I saw the trash as what it had once been, and not for what it had become. I didn’t want to let go of the familiar.
The distance to safety was very small. A beautiful island with warm sand where I could dry off was close at hand. Sustenance and comfort had been provided by the Creator God. A new world that may even become my paradise was right there. It was a short swim away.
I would have to let go of the old junk. I would have to count it loss. I would have to quit looking back and go forward to the place, and life God had prepared for me. It would be much different, but I wouldn’t drown in the sea of despair. I would have a chance to live a life of beauty, purpose and significance for the Lord.
It took me a while to realize that an unknown island, created and prepared by a Loving Father, was preferable to drowning with the wreckage that the storms of life had caused. I still feared the unknown but knew the unknown was preferable to sinking in hopelessness. Mustering my remaining strength, I let go and swam to shore.
Just reaching the shore brought a sense of excitement and new hope. I knew I would not drown. The brightness of the Son started to dry out my soggy soul. I started to enjoy a sense of adventure. New opportunities were before me. The scary disaster was behind me. And the Lord of Life was walking with me.
This new life beyond the storm is not easy. A lot of hard work is required. Inhabiting a new island is slow going. Building new structures and daily harvesting much needed food for my soul requires diligence. I am also finding pieces of the old life scattered along the shore. Many of them are useful in my new life as I learn to adapt them and fit them in. I still sometimes grieve the losses.
The initial hard work will eventually pay off in great abundance. I will eventually settle into this new place. When that happens, I will find more time to explore, enjoy, and take it easy. For now, the hard work is joyful work because I know that God saved me, and he saved me for a purpose.

Lord of all Creation, I thank you for saving me from the storms of life. I thank you for putting my feet once again on a firm land. I was in spiritual anguish. “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on me, all hope of my being saved was at last abandoned” (Acts 27:20). But you, O Lord, were gracious and kind to me. I called to you, and you saved me (Psalm 55:16). Because you are God and you constantly show yourself to be faithful, I will trust in you (Psalm 55:23).
I will wake up excited, ready to enjoy the adventure of a new day. I will discover your love today. I will encounter your faithfulness as I enjoy the blessings you have given to me.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”” (Lamentations 3:22-24). My hope is unquestionably in you. Without your strength and safety, I am lost in anguish, overwhelmed with horror, and will be consumed by the swirling storms of life. I only have hope because of you and in you. Keep me by your power.