Have you ever felt like you were suffocating under a mountain of disappointments, only to discover that the shattered pieces of your life weren't rubble after all, but actually the building blocks of what would ultimately become the capstone of your life's work?
We all have a friend who seems to have it all. Her kids have straight A’s. Her house is immaculate. She never gets sick, and she’s always on vacation.
And we all also have a friend who always seems to get the short end of the stick. Her house needs repairs. Her doctor gives her a bad report. Her teenager gets in an accident. Her love story is crumbling.
It doesn’t seem fair.
From the inside looking out, it seems like there’s no way out.
But from the outside looking in, you see the place where light can enter. And maybe it’s because you, too, know a little bit about hardship. You have shouldered the pain, experienced the diagnosis, and weathered the storm. You’ve lost the marriage, the job, and the house. You know some dreams may never come true. Your heart breaks for your friend.
And because your heart beats on, you know hers will, too. Believe it or not, from where you sit now, you do have an advantage.
And the vantage IS your advantage.
The position lends credibility to the view.
My friend, Courtney, knows a little bit about vantage points.
A few years ago, two of Courtney’s close family members were victims of abuse. A person they knew betrayed their trust. For a moment Courtney felt blindsided. She never could have imagined that something like this could have happened to her or anyone in her family. She didn’t know how she would survive it.
But that was only for a moment.
Courtney sprung into action, finding help and seeking justice for the perpetrator.
Like so many women who have experienced hard seasons, even trauma, she found her purpose both in spite of it and because of it.
Now she’s the founder of Pinwheels for Protection, an advocacy outreach for victims of abuse. Over the past three years, she’s raised $60,000 to fund therapies for victims in Salisbury, MD. Courtney has dedicated her life to an awareness campaign that not only helps prevent abuse, but also helps family members identify the signs of abuse, and support victims as they heal in the months and years to come.
The Life Crisis Center has provided Courtney with an avenue to share what she’s learned through an unexpected event, a pivotal circumstance that provided her with a new vantage point. If she could go back in time and change what happened, she would. Because she cant, she’s using it. The gift of experience is grace for tomorrow.
No experience, however trivial or traumatic, is ever wasted. Never think for one second that your trauma did not matter or matters only to you. While your experience is personal, the emotion surrounding it is universal.
Even if you haven’t suffered exactly like Courtney, you too have a pain point, a sensitive place resulting from something that someone said to you or did to you. While these derailments often masquerade as distractions, they may actually provide you with uncompromisable direction.
DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE
Is your heart breaking over a shattered dream?
What are you unable to see right now?
Can you imagine the view from a new vantage point?
Who do you see that needs your guidance?
What are the things that encourage your heart to keep beating?
If not you, then who is better equipped to help others see a way to overcome their own disappointments?
Remember, your vantage is your advantage!
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