What Happens After a Crisis
by @BethVogt
“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” ~Brené Brown, American research professor
Can I just be honest and say life went off the rails last week?
The past seven days have been all about trying to find some sense of calmness in the midst of recovering from crisis, all the while juggling real life and writing life.
This blog post doesn’t feel like an act of bravery, but it is me showing up. And as author Brené Brown says in the quote accompanying this post, showing up is important.
We’re all familiar with emergencies — those times when circumstances erupt and destroy all sense of normalcy, leaving us off-kilter and searching for a way out … a way back to all the good we had just a few seconds before our sense of control shattered.
And yes, I could share the particulars of my crisis last week, but the what and whys and hows aren’t important. We all have had times when our lives turned upside down and inside out and left us breathless.
The question becomes: what do we do?
Oh, there’s plenty to do in the midst of the immediate need. Calls to make. People to take care of. Prayers to pray. And repeat, repeat, repeat.
But what do we do when the crisis is past? When there’s no more adrenaline surging through our bodies, powering our actions. When decisions have been made, consequences are falling into place . . . and life is an odd elixir of normal and what’s-to-come.
That’s when we discover being brave is about just showing up.I don’t know about you, but emergencies exhaust me. I’m one of those “okay, I got through the crisis, but now that it’s over, let me crawl into bed and sleep forever” kind of people.
But that’s not reality.
There’s no pause button on life. No way to say, “Hold on, I’m dealing with a crisis here. Stop everything else for a minute while I handle this catastrophe. We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled lives in a minute.”
There’s the brave that’s demanded of you when you’re surrounded by trouble. And then there’s the brave that’s demanded of you when you have to carry on in the face of living life after a disaster.
You’re still tired. You’re still hurting. You’re still asking questions. You’re still not sure how this happened — or how it’s really going to end. But life is going on. Some things are the same, and some things … some people … are forever changed.
And we … we choose to be brave and just show up and be there. To live our lives. One day at a time.
For me, showing up looks like writing a blog post.
For you, showing up may look like getting dressed for work and giving a presentation, even if you don’t feel completely prepared. Or dealing with a fussy baby. Or staring down a deadline and a word count.
Today, let’s be brave and just show up.How Real Life Redefines Bravery http://bit.ly/2IbJPim #perseverance #encouragement Click To Tweet 'Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.' #quote by @BreneBrown http://bit.ly/2IbJPim #bebrave Click To Tweet
Comments 20
Praying for you and yours, Beth.
For me there is no after;
Hell’s in session here.
One might call it disaster,
but, “Have another beer!”
There is one simple truth:
we won’t get out alive.
To give our faith proof
in this, we truly have to thrive.
There’s no excuse for Eeyore
although he’s kind of sweet.
We’re constrained to be more,
steadfast in Satan’s heat.
Courage may not be manifest
but in obstinance, I’ll pass the test.
Author
Ah, Andrew: Your comment made me smile — you even mentioned Eeyore. 🙂 And you, my fried, are very brave. You show up every day. Every. Single. Day.
God bless you, dear Beth. Beautifull and honestly put. Having survived various degrees of emergeencies, some more grueling than others, I with you know that thankfully nothing in life is wasted and even this experience and your words will strengthen others.
Author
Dee: It’s true — nothing is ever wasted. We’re changed … and if we choose, we are made stronger. More real. More honest. Better able to connect with others and with God. And better able to face the next challenge, the next crisis. And yes, better able to be grateful for all the good in our lives.
I remember a day at an ACFW conference when I was in a crisis – not a huge one, but one that had me spinning. As I sat in one of the lobbies of the hotel, feeling alone and very confused, someone came up behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders and said a short prayer. I had only just met the person face to face after interacting for a while on line through MBT and such, but I knew right away that she was the kind of person who reached out to others in crisis. Of course, that person was you, Beth. I wish I could do the same for you today. Some of us, for several reasons, have ongoing crisis in our lives and it’s people like you who make little dents in our despair. I thank you for those few minutes of comfort then. I know God will reciprocate X100.
Author
Oh, Jan, thank you for sharing that memory. I love your word picture of how others’ actions can make “little dents in our despair.” So, so true.
I sometimes think God allows these crises and emergencies into our lives just so we’ll call on Him for help. God DOES give us more than we can handle just so we realize we always need Him. One of my favorite songs is Overcomer by Mandisa. I listen to it often!
Author
Gail: I also believe God gives us more than we can handle so we abandon any thoughts of self-reliance. And I’m now going to listen to Overcomer. 🙂
In my crises, God gave me you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Love and prayers my friend.
Author
And I’m so thankful God gave me you, Fran — my safe harbor friend. <3
The last half of 2018 was brutal. Hit by circumstances that brought on crippling anxiety unlike anything I’d ever known, I felt pummeled. And just when I’d begun to rally, another event triggered it all over again.
A friend posed a two-fold question after the new year, “What was the most painful thing about 2018, and what was the biggest win?” To both my answer was, “Getting out of bed and facing the day.”
Author
You, my friend, are very, very brave.
I know you didn’t feel brave back in 2018 when you were getting out of bed and facing day after day after day, but you were showing up over and over again.
Brava.
For me, right now showing up looks like doing life. One moment at a time. But it will get better. That’s what I keep being told. That’s what I’m choosing to hang on. Hanging on first and foremost, knowing that none of this takes God by surprise and He hasn’t left me to fend for myself. The best promise there is! Praying for you all!
Author
Nothing, nothing, nothing can separate us from God and from his love for us. Nothing we do. Nothing anyone else does. No surprise circumstances.
Nothing separates us from God.
Truth.
Romans 8:31-39
Praying for you, too, friend.
Praying for you and your family. Thank you for showing up. The following prayer is by Lysa TerKeurst in It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way:
“Father, I confess there are days when it feels like You have forgotten me, maybe even abandoned me, because this battle has raged on for so long. And I confess there are times I get tired of hoping, weary from waiting, and I wonder just how much longer it will all go on. Thank You for reminding me that there is purpose to this process and that I’m not walking through any of this alone. You are my strength. You are my hope. You are my song. Help me fix my eyes once again on Your promises. And remind me to keep my hope tied to You and You alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Author
Amen and Amen.
Thank you, Nancy, for sharing that prayer today. It encouraged me and I know it will encourage others, too.
Praying for you and your family. Life can make us exhausted at times. I am thankful to be able to ask God to put me in His loving arms and help me through situations.
Author
Melissa:
Thank you for your prayers. And yes, it’s good to know God is trustworthy at all times. That’s not a cliche — it’s the truth.
Thank you for your courage and sharing it with us. I’ve reached a place where there seems to be no way out, yet I know God is with me, which comforts me. I have been putting myself down because I haven’t been “doing” anything, yet I now realize that getting out of bed and just showing up IS doing something. Thank you for helping me to see that.
Author
Sandi: Sometimes we need to recognize that the simplest choices — the normal, everyday choices — are the ones that begin to make a difference. And that getting out of bed and being present in the day is being brave. Praying for you — for hope and for encouragement.