Storm of Change

It's about facing the reality that when everything else changes around you , the real work well , it begins in changing yourself . There's something about I don't know back-to-back hurricanes that makes you feel powerless . Two weeks ago , hurricane Helene changed everything .

And then here comes another hurricane , more powerful than Helene and anything that we have seen in my hometown since 2005 . Helene and anything that we have seen in my hometown since 2005 . Now you can rebuild houses , but you also have to rebuild something inside , where control feels like a distant dream .

I have found that change is one constant , yet it is also the one thing we all resist . As single moms , you know , we hold tightly to what we can control , because so much is already out of our hands . But maybe , just maybe , change isn't something to fear , or maybe it's not even something that we need to try to control . Maybe it's something to embrace .

Welcome back and , by the way , I am so happy to be back on another episode with you of it's a Single Mom Thing , change as the only constant . Well , like I said , it's been five days , maybe six days now , since Hurricane Milton the second most intense Atlantic hurricane on record , to be precise blew through my hometown .

As I sit here , I find myself reflecting on what there is to learn from two powerful storms that have not only changed the landscape of my community but fundamentally changed the community itself . Businesses that had stood for 50 years or more no longer exist .

One school , completely flooded , is temporarily closed , leaving 1,400 students and teachers scattered across two different campuses . These campuses have had to adapt to double sessions just to make room for the displaced students . Boats that once peacefully rested on the water are now scattered across lawns , looking like toy boats children play with , and the roads .

They're covered in beach sand , giving off the eerie resemblance of a snowstorm . Resemblance of a snowstorm , as one resident so kindly pointed out . All of these changes , these overwhelming shifts , if I'm honest , they have left me thinking about the nature of change itself , the one constant we are promised in life .

Yet it is also the one thing , if we're honest with ourselves , most of us struggle with the most . It is during this time that I am reminded of a quote and if you've been tracking with me for a while , you've heard this quote from Holocaust survivor . Listen to me Viktor Frankl , who survived four concentration camps .

He had this to say about change when we are no longer able to change a situation , we are challenged to change ourselves . There's nothing like a Category 5 hurricane barreling down on your state and your state of mind , bringing to the forefront the inability to control or change the situation , but rather the need to change yourself , facing uncontrollable change .

As a single mom , I have had to face many situations where I simply couldn't control the outcome , but nothing like this . I tend to think this was true , really , for all of us who live here .

Whether you stayed and weathered the storm surge , feeling the full force of over 100 mile per hour gusts of wind , I know the sound of those thumps in the night , the ones you heard echoing on your roof , wondering what debris had hit , praying it wouldn't break through .

Maybe you , like a friend of mine , were scrambling to use every towel you had in the house to stop the rising water from seeping through your doggy door . Stop the rising water from seeping through your doggy door . And then , well , of course , there was the dog who had to go out , because you know , life doesn't stop , even in a hurricane .

Maybe you had a pet who didn't understand the danger or , worse , one that got out in the chaos . I think about the thousands of pets that now flood our shelters , losing their home and homeowners in the storm , to the I don't know how many people who scattered like ants , whose ant pile got stepped on , now scattered to the highways as they left for safety .

These small moments of survival , mixed with the larger , overwhelming devastation , leaves us feeling like we have no control . But when the storm clears , we are faced with a different reality Change .

How many of you listening , like me , hold tightly to control about everything in your lives , trying to manage the uncontrollable , like our children's future , finances , relationships . But life storms , well , they force us to let go and I like to say uncle . How many of you had to say uncle in this storm ? I'll be honest with you .

This storm was especially hard for me , not just because of the damage or the fear of what I might return to , but because I evacuated this time and , surprisingly , it wasn't leaving behind my home or the personal items . That was the hardest part . It was leaving behind my son .

Now , if you've been tracking with me like a spaghetti model , you know my son is a firefighter . Ladies , let me tell you there is something so unnatural about leaving behind the one thing you have spent 21 years protecting . I didn't know when I'd see him again , and that weighed heavier on me than anything else .

As a mom , you're wired to protect your kids , but this time it was different . I wasn't leaving to protect myself from the storm . I was leaving because my son asked me to . His words still echo in my mind Mom , please go . The storm is going to be really bad and do unimaginable things . I can't protect you .

I have to work and I don't know when I'll be back . And I knew what he meant . He wasn't talking about property damage or downed trees . It was the things his young eyes would see , the things that no mother wants their child to witness . But there he was , stepping into the role of the protector , asking me to do what I've always asked of him to stay safe .

You see , something had to change . I had to change Unearthing . What's been buried . Sometimes , life well , it gives you circumstances we didn't ask for , but it's how we respond that defines our growth , just like the huge , mighty oak trees that had stood in our community for over a century , completely uprooted by the storm Change .

Well , it has a way of unearthing things in our own lives as well . Maybe there are things that you have buried deep , things too difficult to face , so you've kept them hidden beneath the surface . But God , well , he has a funny way of bringing those things to face .

So you've kept them hidden beneath the surface , but God , well , he has a funny way of bringing those things to light , not to hurt us , but to free us . Free us from the thoughts , behaviors and old ways of living that no longer serve us .

It's in these moments of force , change , when everything around us is uprooted , that we , mind you , have the opportunity to reflect and grow . This brings me back to Viktor Frankl . As a high school student , viktor was already passionate about understanding the meaning of life .

He went on to become a philosopher , neurologist and a psychologist , but you know , perhaps the most significant part of his story was his time as a Holocaust survivor . Like I said , he was in prison in four concentration camps , but while he was there , he also lost his wife and his father , while watching countless other people perish .

You know , what strikes me most about this is that , despite all of his academic achievements and countless papers and studies , it wasn't through his professional work that he truly discovered the meaning of life . It was in the darkest , most unimaginable circumstances that he found it . And isn't that the truth for many of us ?

You see , sometimes the biggest breakthroughs I have found the moments of clarity well , they come not when life is going smoothly , but in the midst of the storms we never saw coming . Now , if you're a believer , listening , you've read about countless characters in the Bible whose lives were uprooted , moving them from their comfort zones .

Because you know , girl , jesus doesn't leave us where he found us . Our faith , no , our faith , wasn't meant to sit on a shelf or only thrive during the mountaintop experiences . It was meant to be walked out in the valley in the difficult and uncertain moments when we're called to trust him the most .

Just like Viktor Frankl , I wonder if this storm is being used to shift our perspective , shift it from being focused on ourselves to looking for the meaning God intended for our lives . You see , god never promised us comfort and he certainly didn't say it would be easy .

In fact , he told us in this life you will have trouble , but take heart , I have overcome the world . Now I don't know if Viktor Frankl ever found his true life and eternal meaning in Jesus , but what I do know is that he found meaning in the small and hard things .

Stripped of everything , much like the Apostle Paul , he found contentment in the storm of change . You listening right now , you may have lost everything , whether in the literal hurricane or in your own personal storm . Maybe it's your job , your home , your relationship or a deep sense of security . You may know several people around you who have lost everything .

Yet somehow , somehow , even with your little , you find yourself in the position of having much to give . Can you see that change in perspective , an invitation to change ? Is there something tugging at your heart to change , to shift , because maybe , just maybe , your landscape needs to change ?

Maybe this storm , as painful as it is , is an invitation to let go of the old and embrace something new , something new that God is calling you into ? I want to ask you , girl , is there a situation right now , right now that you are facing , that you have tried to change , a door you have tried to open again and again and it just remains shut .

Could it be that it's not the door that needs to open , but perhaps you that needs to change ? I'm going to go all gospel here , but listen . Maybe God has another door waiting for you , one that you can't even see because you are spending all your energy trying to force the one in front of you to open .

If you're listening and you live in my community , think about this . What has been unearthed for you in these storms that you've buried far too long ? What has God exposed that he's asking you to deal with , to release or to transform ? I can tell you this from my own experience .

These storms , these storms , have been an invitation for me to make some changes in my own life . And listen , ladies , while it's hard , I trust that God's plan , even when it includes two hurricanes , has a purpose . It's not for me to figure out , it's for me to follow . Did you hear that I ain't figuring out ? I need to follow .

He is faithful even when I don't understand the why . So here's the first thing that I've been called to change , and it's this to serve someone other than myself . And , honestly , it may be as simple as taking some time to pray for those around me . There are brothers and sisters in Christ who have lost everything . Some have even lost their will to pray .

So will you be the one to pray for them right now , just like I am learning to do ? Will you stand in that gap when they can't ? Another invitation for me has been to think about what I'm doing with the time God has given me this life . It is temporary . It is not my home . It isn't permanent , but it isn't pointless either .

Not my home , it isn't permanent , but it isn't pointless either . How can I use the pain I am walking through right now to help free someone else , maybe someone who needs to change the way they see God in their own life ? And lastly , my next invitation for change is community .

Now , if you live here , this is a thought that might sting you just a little , but I can't stay quiet about it . We had a housing crisis before these storms hit , and now that crisis is even greater . But you know what we do have right now that we didn't have before we have land .

How can we , as a community , build a better community , one that serves us all ? Build a better community , one that serves us all ? That , my friends , is something worth praying about , whether you are a single mom listening , or just someone who needed some encouragement from a friend who possibly shared this podcast with you . So , as I close , change , listen .

It ain't easy , but it is necessary . Whether it's uprooted trees , homes or hearts , god well , god is always working to bring about something new , something better than we can imagine . So my question to you today is what is he inviting you to change ? What is he asking you to let go of so something new can grow ?

Is he asking you to let go of so something new can grow ? And for those of you listening who are single moms living in this area and have gone through the storm , if you're feeling overwhelmed or in need of community , I personally want to invite you to our upcoming class on Tuesday , october 22nd , where we'll be talking about prayer and preparedness .

It's a chance to come together , to connect and to find strength in each other as we navigate these uncertain times . You can register for that class at shepherdsvillagecom . Forward slash classes and if you need prayer or someone to talk to right now , please , please , don't hesitate to reach out to our 24-hour prayer line at 855-822-PRAY .

We're here for you and you don't have to go through this storm alone . Have a wonderful weekend and remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you .