Foundations That Stand

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

I recently wrote about the idea of the unexpected. The unexpected are, of course, those things that happen that you didn’t expect. They can come in the form of death, illness, job loss, and natural disasters, or through a host of other avenues you didn’t see coming. Since my latest event, I have joined an online group called The Zipper Club. This refers to those people who have experienced open-heart surgery for a variety of reasons and have joined together as a support group to share their experiences to help others. 

I’m a strong believer that you are more affected by how you respond to what happens to you than by what happens. It aligns with the question, do things happen to us or for us? The more we can stay out of the victim role, the better we will weather the storm. As a result of what I’ve experienced, I have learned and am learning a side of life I never knew existed. It has also opened up a whole new understanding and empathy for people I have never met but who share a common experience. 

Through all of this, I’m coming to understand that your foundation has a lot to do with the outcome of your experience. In other words, if you see it as the end or a mountain too big to climb, then it will be. But if it’s just another bridge to cross, no matter how difficult, you will move forward in hope and with the power to actually improve the healing process.

The question each of us must wrestle with is what we are made of. What is at our core, our foundation? What motivates us to get up and get moving? Why is it that one person can face adversity with resilience while another folds under the same or similar adversity? Sometimes I’m not sure whether it’s taught or caught. For example, two people from the same family can come at life from two different perspectives, one of hope and the other of despair. The foundation must be present before the event. It is the foundation that either supports or crumbles under the weight of trials. Think about it.