My husband and I recently took our kids to Panama City Beach for vacation and were devastated to see the destruction Hurricane Michael had left behind several months earlier. Trees were split into multiple pieces, some completely uprooted  and stacked on top of each other, power-lines were buried under debris, piles of metal and siding lingered in yards and street corners, and properties that once hosted restaurants or services were still vacant and empty.

The overall destruction and clean-up in Panama City Beach left us speechless, but the most disheartening representation of Hurricane Michael’s aftermath was the destruction and damage of the personal houses of families who called Panama City Beach home.

I allowed my mind to begin to imagine what I would do in a situation where my home and everything inside had been stripped away by something unexpected, unstoppable, and ultimately unpreventable. Something that would take possession of everything I owned, tear it to pieces, and then be on its way as if it weren’t responsible for any of the aftermath.

Then it occured to me…

What if that something wasn’t a something after all? What it if were a someone?

What if someone decided to do something unexpected, unstoppable, and ultimately unpreventable against us that left us trying to pick up the pieces of the aftermath they left behind? Most of us, if not all, can easily recall a person who fits this description and are more than likely still trying to recover from the aftermath.

My husband and I have been in the middle of plenty of intentional situations that have left us feeling exhausted, frustrated, angry, hurt, anxious, and discouraged. But, none of these situations compare to the Hurricane Anonymous that blind-sided us with possibly the strongest wave of persecution we’ve experienced to date.

Our lives were violated.

I remember feeling like the garden of my soul had been trampled on, the joy of my spirit had been ripped apart, and the comfort of my flesh had been compromised. Every aspect of my being felt targeted and assaulted, and I was overwhelmed with anxiety.

Throughout this experience, I begged God to work it out quickly so I didn’t have to think about it again. I asked Him to lift us back into safety so I wouldn’t have to face the destruction that was left behind. I wanted God to remove me from my situation, because the aftermath was too hard to bear. He had to remind me that His grace was sufficient enough for me, and only then did I discover that I needed the grace of God to walk with me through the aftermath.

Day by day, I had to cling to the grace of God and trust Him to work everything out for my good and for the good of His Kingdom. I allowed each hurting thought within my heart to surface in order to release it to The Cross and replace it with His healing truths. I laid my wounds before the safe presence of my Father to allow Him to restore what had been stolen. I recalled scripture of God’s goodness and faithfully recited them to my heart and mind as the days unfolded. I surrounded myself with Christ-loving people who were faithful to pray for us and with us. And, perhaps the most important of all, I made the commitment that I would ride this wave of the aftermath with my King until His Glory would be revealed. I have still felt the ripple effect of my own experience with each month that passes by.  But the grace of God has sustained me, redeemed me, restored me, and delivered me from what could have been years and years of recovering.

It doesn’t take much to understand that each person is dealing with or has dealt with an unexpected, unstoppable, and unpreventable Hurricane coming against their personal “home”. Whether the Hurricane is found in the form of a relative, friend, or someone you trust, or in the form of an illness or disease, or in the form of your own inner thoughts or sin, the aftermath of damage and destruction remain the same.

The only way to recover is to welcome the grace of Jesus into your heart as you trust Him to do what only He can do. And even if the waves of the aftermath keep you treading water a little longer, you can have peace knowing that He who is with you is the same One who calmed the storms before you.