That’s Our Story

Bless the LORD, who is my rock.
He gives me strength for war
and skill for battle.
Psalm 144:1 NLT
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This week my husband and I read a story about a woman who had been in a car accident five weeks after her wedding day. The accident left her so badly injured that she was in a full body cast for an entire year and then a brace for the following six years, off and on. I can’t even begin to imagine the patience that took to endure! How did she keep from lashing out in frustration or sinking into a depression over the loss of what she had dreamed her marriage would look like? How did he stay positive when his bride’s future was so uncertain and while they were just starting their life together?

As I sat there, trying to wrap my head around what that must have been like, my husband spoke up saying “That sounds just like us!” To be honest, that was the LAST thing I expected to hear from him. I have never been in a car accident nor broken any bones in my entire life! Extremely curious, I asked him to explain what he meant. He read the story again with our life details substituted in the appropriate places and all of a sudden I realized that this story was most definitely ours! In our version, it was my Mom who was in the accident – she died five days after our wedding. It wasn’t a full body cast I was in – it was a full heart depression fog. There are still moments and days when I feel the ache of that loss, just as real as a physical injury.

Then, the realization grew much bigger as it dawned on me that we all share this story. We all have been in a tragic accident, had a broken heart, lost someone or something dear, or – at the very least – had life’s rug pulled out from under us. Whatever it was left each of us in a period of healing, frustration, anger and immobility. And during that time the prospect of giving up may have seemed so much more appealing then continuing to fight the good fight.

But, then there is this…

“Bless the LORD, who is my rock. He gives me strength for war and skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him. He subdues the nations under me.” (Psalm 144:1-2 NLT)

As we lie in bed in our full body cast, He is our rock. As we wrestle with finding our “new normal” after a loss, He is our loving ally, fortress, tower of safety and deliverer. As we prayerfully resist the urge to harden our hearts and give up, He gives us strength for war and skill for battle. He is patient and kind, like a good physician, and knows just when to challenge and sharpen us as we heal under his care. And He knows just when and where to put helpers into our path to support us and point us back to our Rock.

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Thank you, God, for being the strength to my weakness. Thank you for giving me a partner who loves you enough to stick with me when I’m feeling the weight of this world. Give me strength for the war and skill for the battle so that I can live generously as you continue to heal me. You are my refuge and my shield. Amen.