Surviving the Storm by Susan Weagant

Our POP guest blogger today is Susan Weagant. Susan’s speaking ministry is dedicated to encouraging women to apply Scriptural truths for the foundation of their lives by teaching women the value of using the Bible to settle every issue that stirs in their heart.

Growing up with five stepfathers, Susan’s childhood was riddled with pain and dysfunction. Intimately understanding the struggles associated with abuse, her tenacious will to overcome adversity is a real-life inspiration. From heart-pulsing moments of physical abuse and hiding in shadows from addictive rage, Susan courageously made the journey towards hope and happiness.

Seeking peace and wholeness, God  answered the prayers of this self-assertive young girl by rewarding her with a fulfilling ministry and loving family.

Susan is the author of “Essentials of the Heart,” the story of how God brought her from a life of brokenness to fulfillment in her book:

You can find her at www.susanweagant.com

How many storms have you weathered in your life?

Is there ever a storm that seems to go on and on?

You think to yourself will this season in my life ever end?

I understand the hardships of going through a storm in life that does not seem to end.  I have weathered such a storm that has gone on for three years now.  Let me share with you some of the details of that storm.

Within a eight month period, I lost my mom at age 64, I lost my stepdad at age 64, my health went downhill that I could not even get out of bed, my 15 year old son’s health went undiagnosed for two years in which he ended up at the ER every three months, and my nephews were taken away from their parents for good from Child Protective Services who also without reason or merit blocked me from seeing or talking to my four nephews.  Their ages were at the time 6, 11, 12, and 14 years of age.  The depth of that storm seemed to cripple me at times.  Which begs the question, “How does one survive such a storm that rages on and on?”

For me, the defining elements that carried me through this time were a sense of humor, relationships with family and friends, and my faith.

A sense of humor is a major element in going through any storm in your life.  Studies show over and over again that people who laugh heal quicker and live longer.  Proverbs 17:22 says “A merry heart doeth good like medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  During some of the times while in bed and crying, I would call my husband on the phone.  He would then come home from work and walk through the door hollering, “ Get out of bed you lazy woman!”  I came to understand why he did that.  One of two reasons was that he wanted me to laugh or he knew I would hit him, which required me to get out of bed.

The next major element is relationships with family and friends are crucial.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor; For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”  Our culture pushes material things, achievements, and goals as the most important part of life.  As a driven person, I fall victim to this mindset often.  The Bible teaches that people and relationships are more important than things.  The older you get the more you realize that your most valuable assets are your family and close friends.

During this storm in my life, God sent me an unlikely friend.  We often joke about how that we would not have chosen each other to be best friends.  She is 70 years old and I am 48.  Like I did to my husband, I would call her, crying, during some of my hard days.  She would come to my house bringing me a caramel mocha from McDonalds and play a round of cards with me.  Because I would be exhausted, I would go back to bed but she would go to my living room where I would have five laundry baskets of clean clothes and fold them for me.  She would do this three times a week and sometimes more.  God knew that I needed her in my life!

The last element, but definitely not least, is my faith.  If I had to go through this storm without my hope in a God, who loves me and uses all things good and bad in my life, I would have given up.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” That hope keeps me going even though I did not understand how this storm would play out in my life.  Let me share with you what a great God we serve!  My nephews being taken by CPS were blocked from contact with me.  This was wrong!  They had no reason to block me.  I fought with this supervisor for 6 months.  It was a power struggle and she was winning.  I would get up every morning praying and crying to God to protect my nephews.  Then out of the blue I get an email from CPS saying that the judge in Houston wants me to come to court to see if I am going to be a part of these boys’ lives.

You have to understand that I only met this judge once and a year later she asks to see me.  That is not a coincidence!  That is a God thing!  I went to court and I told the judge that I wanted to pick up my nephews for weekends and during the summer.  She said, “I don’t know why that would be a problem.”  I told her that if she didn’t put it in the court papers that CPS would not give it to me.  So she ordered it and I got visitation rights to my nephews!

Faith is powerful in your life especially during storms.

We all go through storms in our lives.  No one is exempt.  A sense of humor (in this case my husband’s sense of humor), relationships with family and friends, and my faith in God are crucial to surviving storms of this life.  Cultivate a sense of humor in your life, learn to laugh, and if you don’t have a good sense of humor, marry someone who does!

Protect your relationships! Those relationships are more valuable than riches.

And last but most important, be diligent about growing in your relationship with God!  He is your only hope when storms come and you have no power over those situations.  I have a new mindset in life now.  I don’t just want to survive the storm.  I want to do it with finesse.

Here is my motto: “I don’t want to learn to survive the storm, I want to learn how to dance in the rain!”