It is always Darkest before the Dawn

I have a friend that I miss quite a bit.  When I worked at the YMCA there were basically two people that I would talk to every day. They were Shannon and LeeAnn.  LeeAnn was the Associate Aquatics Director at the YMCA and Shannon was my partner in crime with the children and teens.  Often my conversations with LeeAnn would center around tic tacs.  I don't know why I remember that but it is such a vivid picture in my head.


Recently LeeAnn was in a horrible car accident.  A gentlemen under the influence ran a red light and smashed into the side of LeeAnn's car as she was entering an intersection.  It was a horrible accident.  I found out about the accident by some facebook posts made by LeeAnn's fiancé Ryan. 


I remember  waking up that morning and seeing the post.  I was in shock and disbelief that this had happened to her.   This is the post that I saw the morning after the accident:


 "Update on LeeAnn was in a car wreck were a drunk driver hit her. She has a fracture at the base of her scull, four fractures in her lower spine, a concussion and a lot of bumps and bruises. She just asked me to pray for the man who hit her. Please pray for us"


It was scary to read.  The part of the post that really hit me though was where LeeAnn told Ryan to ask for prayers for the man who hit her.  She was selfless in her thoughts even though she was in a ton of pain.  LeeAnn's faith has always been something that has never waivered.  She has always stood firm in her beliefs and this accident only showed how strong they are.  Instead of asking why did God allow this to happen to me, she praised him that she was alive, and that her wounds would heal.  She also asked for prayers for the person that was the cause of her accident because she was thinking about the pain and suffering that that man and his family would have to go through.


I think in the world we live in it is too easy to blame God for the bad things that happen.  We forget to thank him for the life he has given us and the world that he has created for us.  Instead what we need to do is when all hope is lost, when our world is at its darkest place, we must cling to the love of our Lord.  We must hang on until the dawn.  When dawn comes, that is when the light comes.  The light of the world who will shine through the darkest parts of our world and lift us up when we are down.


LeeAnn still has a tough road ahead I am sure but God will see here through.  Her family will be there for her and the light of the Lord with shine through her. I don't ever wish something like this upon you but I hope that we can all cling to our faith when the world is at it's darkest.