I’ve learned many things as I’ve walked this path of recovery, but the lessons that stand out most are those I learned during moments that tested my faith and demanded much from my soul.
I’ve shared this story before, but shortly after returning home from the Orlando Recovery Center in 2018, Hurricane Michael, a category five monster, slammed into our home in the Florida Panhandle. The destruction was massive, the recovery effort immense, and those first few months after were brutal.
Just a few months into my recovery, I was facing my first test. And it was a massive one.
Cut off from the rest of the world, with no water, no electricity, and chaos as far as the eye could see, the temptation to escape was there. The seeds of hope that had taken firm root within my soul, however, were much stronger. And my desire to remain steadfast on the path God had placed me on, was so much greater.
With His purpose and presence as my constant shelter and guide, I am proud to say that I did not give into that temptation. Not then, and at no time since.
Looking back, I know with certainty and conviction, that I will not stray from this path. Faced with what seemed like insurmountable obstacles during those weeks and months after Michael taught me just how determined God is to bless me with His grace and strength. Just how much He roots for me. Just how much He wants me to succeed.
Faith and hope are seeds that, once planted, continue to grow. Especially in times when our souls are challenged. In times of grief and uncertainty, they are there. During moments of worry and fear, they are there. When we rely fully on them and trust in God’s promises, they flourish and multiply. And that garden within us becomes our refuge and our strength, the place where we meet God, feel His presence, and know that He is, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him,” 1 John 4:16.
We all get weary.
We all face days,
when finding the strength
we need to endure
seems next to impossible.
Days when grace and forgiveness,
are in short supply.
But those are the days, my child,
when faith overcomes.
For the light of hope shines brightest,
when it’s tested.
And the assurance of faith transcends,
when it’s trusted.
JN Fenwick (© 2022) | mothjournal14
Don’t be in such a hurry, my child,
to throw away the greatest gift time gives us.
Perspective.
Don’t be so reluctant to believe in
the tiny seeds our souls plant within us.
Hope.
Don’t be so afraid to trust in,
the assurance of eternity God grants us.
Faith.
JN Fenwick (© 2022) | mothjournal14
Author’s Note: Four Weeks: A Journey from Darkness, written during those first months of my recovery journey, and In the Eye of Storm and In the Aftermath of the Storm which chronical those first days, months, and year following Hurricane Michael are all avaialable now on Amazon.