2 minute read
IS THERE PURPOSE IN PAIN?
How to Question God During a Crisis
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WR I T T E N B Y M E L O D Y B E L O T T E
May 4, 2002. My graduation, my brother’s wedding or any other special event could have marked that last week of high school, but instead, it became forever known as “the week of Melody’s car accident.”
According to police, my car swerved off the interstate, down a steep embankment and through a tree. The car burst into flames, the dashboard collapsed on my legs, and the steering wheel pinned me to my seat. Emergency crews tore off the roof and flew me to the nearest hospital.
I was grateful to have survived,
but the experience devastated me. I had a hole in my face that was two inches wide. My body was covered with deep, ugly gashes. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t walk. And in an instant –all those special moments planned for my senior year vanished.
I lay in bed, unable to move, with thousands of questions swirling around in my head. “Will life ever be the same again? Why did this happen? What ifit doesn’t get better? How do I keep going? Why me? Why now, God?”
Fast-forward 1 8 years. As I write this, we’re in the middle of the COVID_1 9 pandemic. Much like
life to a screeching halt. Businesses shuttered. Graduations canceled. Weddings postponed. Families separated. The very same questions I quietly asked God 1 8 years ago are now being asked by millions of people worldwide.
Stop Asking God “Why?” and start asking, “Now
News of my story spread. I was invited to speak at graduations, churches, youth groups and police programs. With scars on my body and a crooked smile on my face, I told them, “When bad things happen, don’t ask why, ask now what. If you’re not dead, God’s not done with you.”
Whether you have a scar story, a COVID story, or simply a “get-me-through-today” kind of story –take heart, friends. If you’re not dead, God’s not done with you. Your story is still being written…
W H O I S M E L O D Y B E L O T T E ?
Melody Belotte is a modern writer and speaker who inspires audiences to make the most of their time. With 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, strategic marketing and business, she coaches individuals, leadership teams and management groups on topics of time management, work-life balance, strategic planning, and purposeful living. Learn more about her “scar story” at www.MelodyBelotte.com.
