Picking up the Pieces

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ladina and I work for my church. I am the mother of three amazing kiddos and the wife of a hard-working husband. I am going to just jump in on what I feel like I am supposed to share with you guys and I pray that you find it helpful.

I want to talk about what to do when you have to pick up the pieces. First of all, let me put a full disclosure on this. I am not perfect, and I make mistakes all the time and my past is full of scars and hurts.

What are you supposed to do when you have nothing left? When life hits you out of nowhere-, when you lose a family member, job, house, or a marriage? I know the very “Christian” thing we hear is to just give it to God and let him fix it. While I know that is what we are supposed to do, the question that I need answered, and if you’re like me, is how to do it? How do I go on one more day with this empty hole that is left behind? How do I not just pull the covers over my head and not face life? I know that in my past when I lost my mom, I had so many things that I just did not care about and I just did not want to push forward; but, I had three kids and a job and a life, I had no choice.  I had to get up and move, but I was like a walking Zombie. I felt like an empty shell of myself. So how did that change? I want to give you some things that helped me.

1. Get up and wash your face- This may seem silly but actually we need to take care of ourselves, sometimes we forget about us in the time of tragedy.
2. Make time for God- This is a must- if we don’t take time for Him then we will not make it! I know that this is something you hear me say all the time, not just reading one verse, (but if that is all you can start with do that) but digging into God’s Word.
3. One day at time – You can’t change the world over night and things won’t change overnight but remembering that you can take life minute by minute, hour by hour. Don’t try to focus on the ahead, but the now. This will help you be able to not get overwhelmed.

Now this is not a magic three steps program and BAM! You will have bad days where you won’t feel like doing anything, but I can tell you that JESUS is the only thing that will be able to heal any hurt you may have. The hard times won’t last forever. I pray that you will find hope of healing in this.

Please check out our page at fb.com/HerForWomen/  Also check out our YouTube Channel for more words of wisdom.

I want to leave you with this verse-

2 Corinthians 4:8-18:
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a] Since we have that same spirit of[b]faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.