Life Goes On

Many times we go throughout our day on autopilot. We follow the same routine when getting ready for work, drive the same route, eat the same food, sometimes even at the same time. Life, at times, seems mundane and uneventful, but each day we get up and do it all over again.

When an unusual or unexpected event throws a block in our routine, we have to adapt and go on. No matter what comes up, time marches on. Just because you slept through your alarm, had a flat tire, or your child threw up on the way out the door, life doesn't pause so you can catch up.

Even a life altering event doesn't stop the passage of time. When I realized Maddy wasn't going to come home to me, my world seemed to freeze. I had so many thoughts pinging in my brain that I lost all concept of time. One thing I did know was that I couldn't stop my life just because his was taken. I knew that his life was going to have to live on through me. My girls lost one parent, but they still had another. If I would have curled up on my bed and cried for days it would have accomplished nothing. When I emerged from my room my world would have still been the same.

What many called strength in me, I saw more as practicality. No matter what happened in my life, I knew time would continue. I had things that had to be taken care of, paperwork to complete, decisions to be made. I had a job that I had to go back to. Time would not pause for me. Everyone around me went back to their "normal" life after a brief stop for the funeral. I had to learn a new normal while continuing on with the day to day task of living. Even now, almost 19 weeks later, I still wonder what my "normal" will be, if I will ever find it.

Life does go on. We are not guaranteed a smooth ride. In fact, in John 16:33, Jesus tells us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Life is not a Sunday drive; it's more like a roller coaster, sometimes with loops, corkscrews, and stomach churning drops. No matter what part of the ride you are experiencing right now, know that Jesus is there to get you through. It's that promise that keeps me looking forward and marching along with the hands of time.