“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” – Elizabeth Kuebler Ros

Bad things happen to good people. We often say that statement in question form so much that is practically a cliche now. But that’s because we really do want to know why. Why did that 17 year old develop Osteosarcoma? Why did that 23 year old mother develop a rare strand of Necrotizing Fasciitis? Why God? Why do bad things happen to good people?! Why does it seem to rain the hardest on the people that deserve the sun?! And though we are never promised answers to these difficult questions, we are promised that it won’t rain forever. The best, most helpful thing I can tell you to do is to let God hold the umbrella for you during the storms of your life. Let Him help you and the questions of “why” will eventually fade away though we really don’t have an answer. Not that we still wouldn’t like an answer, but “why” will eventually change into “how”.

How can I make the best hand out of the cards I was dealt? How can I win this game of life?How can I help others who are walking a similar path that I have already walked? How can I keep improving my own life? The list of “how” questions goes on and on forever if you let the “why” question go. Because the people who changed their “why” into “how” are some of the most beautiful people in the world. They are taking all the sadness and heart ache they have endured and are making something out of it. They are creating compassion and understanding. They become resources for those who are still asking “why”. They are beautiful humans. They are standing on the other side and they are choosing to see the best of it. And despite the grass not being quite as green, they are happy to still be standing though it may have taken awhile to pick themselves back up. They chose to make sure that after the storm, no matter how brutal it was, to make sure that their sunshine and their warmth helped things grow again. Because they know that the most beautiful things and people form after a storm. And even though we endure some long storms sometimes, and we feel like we have had so much rain that we feel like we are drowning, make sure you do your best to keep your head above water. Even if it means standing on your tippy, tippy toes. Do whatever it takes. Because a flower can never grow without a storm or two. Because in a storm, we gain the things we need to continue on. The water from the rain makes us stronger. We just have to give it time. Time for the sadness and heartache to go down. Time for our hearts to warm back up. Time for ourselves to gain the strength it takes to stand back up and open again.

So take all the “why” time you need. We all need that time and there is no set amount of time to make any situation easier. But when your “how” questions do come up, find the resources to answer them. Because you are being proactive with every single “how” question you answer. You are actively growing stronger to help protect yourself against the next storm. And though we can never predict the impact a storm will have on us, we can always be thankful for the rain it gives us. Let your family hold you fast, like roots do for plants. And always appreciate the beauty of others because you never know how many storms it took for them to get there.

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