I came across a CD on my last.fm playlist with this title: The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache. I had to sit and think about it for a minute. The Magnificent (so far so good) Adventures (adventures? I like adventures!) of (articles are always needed) Heartache....BAM! Curveball! Of what? Did he just say what I think he did?
And then I continued to think about it. And I continued to think about it in the context of what God has been showing me recently.
You see, even over 3 years later, I still have days when I struggle. Days when the re-run of the Oprah show is on, and I am caught off guard by someone's comment to me about 'the horror of it all.' Days when I am riding in the car with my brother and he plays me a song a friend wrote and produced about the events that day. Days like these because to me, it isn't a date. It isn't an event. It isn't a news story. It isn't an accident. It is a loss. It is the loss of a sister. It is, to date, the worst day of my life.
And then I think about Jeremiah 29:11. He knew this was going to happen. He knows the plans for my life. He knew His plan for her life. His plan is not to harm us, but to prosper us...to give us hope and a future. And that sounds nothing like the worst day of my life.
And then I think about pearls. Wikipedia tells me that "It is thought that natural pearls form under a set of accidental conditions when a microscopic intruder or parasite enters a bivalve mollusk, and settles inside the shell. The mollusk, being irritated by the intruder, secretes the calcium carbonate and conchiolin to cover the irritant. This secretion process is repeated many times, thus producing a pearl." Something beautiful is formed out of an intruder or an irritant or accidental conditions.
I heard a speaker recently share the value of finding pearls in difficult situations and here are a few he shared:
The Relationship Pearl- Who is someone I have met through this painful situation that I wouldn't have met otherwise?
The Wisdom Pearl- What books have I read that otherwise I wouldn't have read?
The Ministry Capacity Pearl- Who have I been sensitive to or showed compassion to that I wouldn't have otherwise?
The Prayer Life Pearl- How much more have I talked to Him?
Spiritual Intimacy Pearl- How much closer have I grown to Him?
And this is what it comes down to: Do I trust Him to take the worst day of my life and turn it into something beautiful? Do I trust Him more today than I did that day or than I did yesterday?
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