I asked a friend recently about her life and how things were going. She said, “Aw, okay. I guess.”
Knowing that her response was not typical, I inquired further.
“Just okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, doing some soul surfing, so to speak.”
“Are you catching any breaks in the waves?” I responded.
She winked at me and courageously said, “No, just seems like I keep crashing with every wave.”
When I asked her what she meant, she shared that she has been thinking about her tumultuous and abusive childhood and how much she would change, if she could turn back the hands of time.
“There are just so many things that I would do different, if I could go back,” she sighed.
“Well, since you can’t go backwards, can I ask you a question?” I carefully asked for permission to coach her a little through this next wave. No one likes to see someone they care about keep crashing on the shore of life.
“Sure, why not,” was her reply followed by a sheepish grin as a tear rolled down her rosy pink cheek. She knew what was coming next.
“Since you can’t go back in time, and you only have today, what can you change today? Right now. This very minute,” I curiously inquired.
She paused, wiped the tear off her cheek with the back of her hand as the hands of time seem to stand still. Present in this very moment. A dynamic shift had occurred. It only takes a second sometimes for life to change. In the blink of an eye.
She turned towards me, still grinning, and said, “I get it. By looking backwards at things I can’t change, I keep crashing. I stay stuck. If I am willing and courageous enough to stand here in the present with an eye on tomorrow, I can change. One thing, one day at the time.”
Are you crashing on the shore of life? Are you stuck because you continually look backwards at what could have been? Start today. What can you change today?
Today! By seizing the opportunities in life today, there is a supernatural redeeming of the time that was seemingly lost.
My friend has no idea how courageous she is in my book. Her past will never hold her back. She is worthy of all that her future holds. And so are you, my friend.
"Seize the opportunities, redeem the time..." 
YOU are amazing!! How grateful she must have been. I would have been! no condemnation, or judgement, just a reminder to keep moving forward. Beautiful!
The grace filled truth is that she would do the exact same thing for me. Grace-filled friends are hard to come by….grateful!! Thank you for reading!
Been in her shoes! Understand her waves! Have crashed multiple times as well! Until someone (no names here, Lizzie) gave me moments of coaching…..Have learned I don’t have to ride all of the waves either…..I can walk the beach and just look at some of them which sometimes is what we are to do!!
oh Cathy….I have been tossed on the shore many times. It hurts. I am also learning to enjoy and ride some of the waves. Much more fun than crashing all the time!!!! Love you friend!
Lizzie, God has used you to break some strongholds in my life today. I’ve also experienced the horror of abuse and it has made me a little rough around the edges. I’m sometimes so unaware of how guarded I am and how sharp my tongue is.
I embarked on a 21 day fast, which started on June 1. I’m seeing now that this is one of the deep wounds that God wants to deal with during this fast. Thanks so much! This is just what I needed.
Praising God with you today, Roxann!! He is so GOOD, even when it feels really, really bad. I can trust Him because I know He only wants good for me. Trust has never been easy for me. But, I am learning to slowly release control and know that He’s got me covered. Thank you for sharing your recent victory and breakthrough with me. To Him be all glory. Humbled and grateful.