When my sister and I were young girls, our favorite band was the Osmonds. That I know is really dating me! Of the Osmond band, our favorite singer was of course Donny Osmond. We had their posters, especially Donny’s, all over the bedroom we shared. One of the songs Donny sang on one of his albums was entitled “Life Is Just What You Make It.” Now in reality this song was another silly love song but the title speaks to a certain amount of truth.
We have absolutely no control over many things that will happen to us during our lifetimes. Deaths of people we love will come if we live long enough. To a certain extent one could make the argument that our health problems are of our own creation but there are some conditions that occur that we did not actively participate in to create. Car accidents often occur because of someone else’ negligence but can still have devastating effects on our lives.
How do we respond when tragedies occur? That is always the universal question. Grief is normal and expected. How long it continues is really completely up to us. Whether we intentionally seek joy is up to us. One of my favorite mental exercises during especially tough times is to praise God in all things. I do not understand why things occurred but I choose to trust that God does. Remember that this life is not for the weak or faint of heart. It requires each of us to be courageous in knowing that this is not our home and something so much better is still to come. We are also reminded through scripture that we are not alone in what we experience. Trust God and be courageous!