Show up, as you never know the potential, today holds!
Fifty-Five years ago, October 28, (yes it was a Wednesday) the day started like any other day. Life was simple with few cares or worries. World problems held little significance for my almost 9-year-old mind. My big concerns were what was for afternoon snack and how many touchdowns I would score at recess. Little did I know that my life was about to be turned upside down.
My normal on that sunny, warm October day was interrupted with a noon phone call. I had a new baby brother! His name was Stannon Madson. I was so excited. Life had just gotten even better. At recess I scored more touchdowns than ever before. The next few days were like a holiday. I stayed overnight with my best friend and celebrated seeing my brother when he came home on Sunday, the 1st of November. (Maternity practices were different back then.)
Monday morning started off with great expectations. Why would one expect there to be dark clouds on the horizon? Yet by the end of the day my life had changed dramatically. My father was injured checking cattle on horseback and found unconscious. He died 20 days later. My mornings did not start normally, after that, for an awfully long time.
Life seemed to cascade, after that, with one disruption after another. We were forced to move and then soon moved again to a new town. Then we moved again for employment and then again when Mom remarried and then twice more as jobs changed and failed. I moved 6 times in 10 years. Change became a constant in my life. Starting over, learning new schedules, and making new friends became a routine. Normal never lasted exceptionally long. Do not take this the wrong way. I was safe, well cared for, and loved. I had to soldiered through. It was simply hard.
Those early experiences taught me a great deal. I learned lessons that carried me through continued transitions of my adult years. Without such trials, those years might have turned out different. Consider what I learned.
- Gratitude: Savor each day and loved one as you do not know how much more time you have.
- Identity: Crisis are painful, but they need not define you. You are made in His image.
- Equipped: Each circumstance teaches and trains you. Learn and move forward.
- Persevere: Sometimes the best you can do is make it to the end of the day.
- Trust: God is working in and through life. He knows what He is doing.
Today we are facing the reality of cultural change in early November. The results of the national election will bring upheaval regardless of who wins. How is one to prepare or respond? I suggest that the lessons I learned since 1965 offer a plausible solution.
Our identity is in Christ and the situations do not define who we are. We are not victims but victors. He has equipped us for the challenges we will face. We get to step into the fray, serving as needed. It will not be easy and often just taking another step is the best thing to do. We are to give thanks in all things. We have been given so much. Finally, we need to know that He is in control and the results are in His hands. We need to just SHOW UP.
So, FEAR NOT! We have come to this point not by chance but with purpose. In Christ we are more than conquerors. Praise His Holy Name in whatever comes! BRING IT ON!
Tornado Pete
