Shock. Numb. What next?

Enable me, Lord, to shift—from feelings of shock, numbness, to lean not on my own understanding, but to
Trust in the LORD with all my heart.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NASB)

Janey ( not her real name) called me, sobbing. Divorce papers had arrived, and she was stunned. Never would she have believed her trustworthy, responsible husband would have taken such a wrong path. She believed he was a man of his word. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion and anger. She vented. “He took a vow before God, his kids, my kids, friends, and family. I thought He loved God and His Word and wanted to obey Him.

“Why doesn’t he take God and marriage seriously? He has no biblical grounds for filing for divorce. He’s throwing his vows in the gutter,” she said.

I coached her to step outside and vent if she needed to and to start a journal if that would help. Writing helps keep anger flowing outward and puts boundaries around it. Plus, it helps to keep anger from turning around and biting you. Healthy eating and drinking also help.

I turned to a bedrock verse to comfort her: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NASB).

I’m guessing that more than fifty percent of women can relate in some way to Janey’s betrayal of trust and or a similar life tragedy.

And I’m so sorry for your pain and confusion. But when life gets hard, we have a choice, even though we may feel our choices may have been taken from us.

• What will be our strategy for surviving and even overcoming through the passage of pain?
• Whether our trouble is multiple miscarriages, the death of a spouse, job loss, illness, physical diminishment, or a devastating
  divorce, where do we turn when we are devastated by tragedy and loss?

Janey wrestled to take a simple step, even  to eat and sleep was hard work. I coached her take a baby step. Stay in the game of life. Try to shift feelings over days and week to this is real, and I can survive this. Then shift your thoughts to the Truth.

“Do not lean on your own understanding, but trust in the LORD with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5 NASB).

♥ What are you facing that feels so unreal?

This devotional comes from the third book of the Enable Me, Lord, to Shift series. Learn how to override your feelings to the Truth.

It’s the brown book! Read more here!