By Tammy Darling

hen my human tornado blew through, I was not destroyed for God protected me, but I was greatly damaged. The destruction left behind was great, but I knew there had to be something worth salvaging.

No way was I going to live among the rubble. And I wasn’t about to try rebuilding without first clearing the “land” so to speak. The garden of my heart had been torn to shreds and needed to be replanted. You cannot have a firm foundation unless the land has been cleared and prepared for rebuilding. Therefore, I began picking up the pieces.

You may be a fighter, a warrior, an overcomer, but you don’t have to go it alone. And in fact, you shouldn’t. I tried to deal with the aftermath on my own and it only caused the pain to intensify. It was only after I shared my story with a few select others that my healing truly began.

When a literal tornado strikes, the community (and beyond) rallies around those affected. Hugs, tears, and help are abundant. And when a figurative tornado hits, we need all three of these. Reach out to those you can trust with your heart.

When you’re standing on rubble, counting blessings may feel like the last thing you want to do, but it’s actually quite therapeutic. Not to mention that the Bible instructs us to give thanks in (not for) all things (See 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

When a life tornado comes, it’s tempting to want to just “move on.” But for true progress to happen, you need time to heal. I couldn’t do so immediately, but within a matter of months I attended a weekend healing conference followed by several days at the beach, in April, so I pretty much had the ocean to myself. In the meantime, I took daily time to just breathe, rest, and be with God.

Without forgiveness rebuilding is impossible; healing is impossible. Yes, someone did you wrong, hurt you, maybe even deliberately tried to destroy you. Forgive anyway. Forgiveness is also necessary for a relationship with God. “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14, NIV).

I didn’t immediately feel forgiveness, but I said it. Over and over. Every day until my feelings caught up with my words, I repeated, “I forgive ________.” And now I truly do forgive that person. And I am free and fully able to continue the rebuilding process.

If the figurative tornado causes great collateral damage, it stands to reason that there is also great collateral beauty just waiting to be discovered because God works all things out for good for those who love Him (see Romans 8:28). So, if it isn’t good yet, He’s not done yet.

Any tornado — literal or figurative — brings change. The destruction is life changing. And that can be a good thing. At the time, it can be hard to envision a bright future. But there is one. Just don’t give up. Keep doing the necessary (and sometimes, hard) work of clearing away the rubble to rebuild on a firm foundation.

So much has changed since a human tornado blew through my life. I’m learning that God truly can use any disaster, any pain, any heartache and bring good from it. Not only have things around me changed, I’ve changed. And that too is a good thing.

TAMMY DARLING is the author of 1,400 published articles and three books. She writes from her home in rural Pennsylvania.