We all have challenges in life. We will all suffer loss at some point in our lives, too. No matter the specific circumstance you may find yourself walking through right now, has this thought ever crossed your mind – I never thought it would happen to me!
Maybe your loved one passed away unexpectedly in a car accident, like my father did when I was still a young girl. This was something that happened to other families. I never thought it would happen to me.
Maybe in your case, a tragedy involved your son, or husband, or perhaps a sister or a brother.
When Melanie was a little girl, I never thought she would have Substance Use Disorder. As I would brush her long hair, I had many dreams of what her life might be like. Not one of them included disease or dying before me. No, I never thought …
Today there are so many who are grieving the loss of a family member who is still on this earth. I’m sure in your wildest dreams you never imagined your child wouldn’t be speaking to you. If they only realized life is so short, but you never thought this would happen to you.
As a parent, did you ever think, not my kid?! I know many parents who still look at me with the look that clearly says, What happened to your daughter will never happen to mine. We live in a nice, affluent neighborhood, our child has been raised in the church, my son plays sports, my family member is in college. I’m sure they too think, it will never happen to me.
Unfortunately, bad things do happen to good people. While we don’t understand it, we live in a fallen world and what you thought may never happen to you or your family, may hit closer to home than you ever imagined.
Instead, perhaps we should all consider walking in compassion, with less judgement and extending grace toward those who are suffering. Because we never know what life holds for us. I never thought it would happen to me or my family either.
