Are you an Over Comer?

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'
Eleanor Roosevelt

Life changes and devastating events happen in a split second. One day you are on top of the world and feel invincible. The next day you are called by your doctor and told you have cancer. The person you love and planned your life with suddenly tells you that they are not in love with you. You are doing great in your job and working your butt off, you are being praised from your clients, staff, and bosses; only to find out you are being terminated. Your parent has given up the fight from an illness and are taken from you. Your children are playing and laughing when they are injured and a normal day is spent in the hospital.

True life story, I had a friend who came home from work and kissed her 2 young daughters as they were running out the door to go play with the neighborhood kids. Just an ordinary day, dinner time came around and her oldest daughter showed up, but not her youngest. After a quick sweep through the neighborhood, and sudden instinct in her and in a panic she called 911. “My daughter is missing” The quick kiss she received from her daughter Maddie running out to play was the last time she felt her, communicated with her. Maddie was murdered by a 14 year old boy who lived across the street. This did not only devastated a family, this affected a whole community.

Why does God allow these terrible things to happen? Why is there cancer, why do children get abducted, why do people fall out of love? I have to admit I have questioned, with God and all of His power, why do these things happen? The reality is we are not in Heaven, free from sin and evil, in heaven everything is perfect.

We have all dealt with devastating moments and most of us are still recovering from them. Life’s devastating lessons taught me, I am an over comer. Fighting for my life, fighting for my family, fighting for financial stability and fighting for love, though it felt to me at times I was fighting all by myself, God was with me. The truth is, He was already fighting and taking the big blows before I ever knew I was going to take up my sward. He put fantastic people in my life that fought with me, are still fighting for me and are my biggest fans.

You cannot plan for a life changing event, but your true character is tested and comes out when it strikes. Will you choose to be warrior an over comer?

Maddie’s mom, Sheila, is fighting laws to keep children safe, and honoring her sweet daughter by being a light and advocate for other families who’s children were taken from them, her daughter Jessie (big sister) just graduated from UNF and is a Victims Advocate with the State Attorney’s office in Florida. Just goes to show you that ordinary people, with devastating circumstances, are doing and can do extraordinary things.