Your Life Will be Spectacular! by Wendy

Your Life Will be Spectacular! by Wendy - April 2021 Scholarship Essay

Five years ago, my husband and I had just gone through one of the hardest seasons in our lives. In 2012, we had sold everything to move to South Africa to serve with a mission organization that we thought we’d be with for many years to come. Sadly, due to major disagreements with the leaders, that was not to be the case. Given the opportunity to talk to myself during that time, I would speak the following words, grieve, forgive, hold your head up, and move forward.

Most people believe that grieving happens only when we lose someone to death. This is so far from the truth. Grieving is something that happens anytime there is a loss of something that we found precious in our lives, the problem is that we don’t always recognize it as grieving. My grief over the loss of friendships and a work that I loved was real and it was deep, however, I didn’t process that grief the way I should have. For this aspect, I would tell myself, “Don’t rush this part. It’s okay to cry over the relationships lost and the ministry lost. No, most people won’t understand, and that’s perfectly fine because it’s not their experience. Yes, you will always carry the memories of this time in your life in your heart. When you look back over this time, you’ll see just how much joy you gave out and how much love you received in return. And one last thing, you will survive.”

Forgiveness is not about those that hurt you. Forgiveness is about you and the health benefits of forgiving. According to Johns Hopkins, “forgiveness lowers the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression and stress.” I’d simply tell myself, “Do you want to sleep better and lower your stress? Then forgive them for their words and their actions, give it all over to God, and move forward with your head held high knowing you did all you could do.”

Lastly, I would tell myself, “Because you grieved what you had lost, you were able to move into another ministry full of joy and laughter. Since you chose to forgive, you were able to help others walk through forgiveness and come out the other side stronger and full of hope. You will have a change of seasons again in five years. Don’t fret! It will require you say goodbye to your beloved Africa, however, it will also open doors for you to minister to more people than you ever thought possible. Hang on tight Wendy, at 55, your life is truly just getting started and it's going to be spectacular!"

1 Johns Hopkins, Forgiveness, Your Health Depends on It, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it Accessed, April 15, 2021