Quickly vs Strategically

I hated October.

Hated it.

It wasn’t anything against the month. Just the deluge of memories that came with it.

Painful, humiliating, terrible ones.

October started it all, but it wasn’t the only month I despised.

March and May were right up there, too. And after I survived that first October, I dreaded the arrival of spring and all the memories it encapsulated. The ones I wished I could permanently erase.

How long would these feelings last? How long would I be haunted by the ghosts of my past? I had forgiven, but I could never forget. Those two choices are separate, after all.

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten… you will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be ashamed.” – Joel 2:25-26

I stood at the alter in early May, two years later, promising the rest of my days to the man of my dreams. The one I had prayed for since I was a young girl, but had given up believing actually existed. A month of misery, now a sweet celebration of matrimony.

Three years after that, my oldest child was born in early October. The same month, same week, that my life had fallen apart. A month of regret turned into rejoicing. A month of sorrow, now one of celebration.

And two years later, my second child, who was due in April, made her appearance three weeks early. The misery of March evaporated with the miracle of new life.

Tragedy may have struck quickly, but over the course of seven years God’s restoration unfolded strategically.

Not instantly.

The loss you experienced may not be returned to you in its exact form. It may not resemble what you hoped for or arrive when expected. You may never forget that season of suffering, but you can be sure that God repays with redemption.

And that right there is a wonder, my friend. A true miracle that the God of the Universe would not only take notice of our incalculable loss, but that He would choose to become personally involved in the aftermath.

Give it time.

Persevere.

Because God makes good on His promises. And the same God who worked wonders for His people then, is the same God who will work wonders for you now.