“The wise man in the storm prays, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within that endangers him, not the storm without.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
The young mother kept looking at me with bloodshot, broken eyes, yelling for an answer to a question she knew I could not provide.
Minutes earlier as a hospital chaplain, I’d been part of the team that informed this young mom that her little girl, the one she brought into the ER because she was ‘acting a little funny’, the one she had raised as a single mom for seven years, the one she could not go through life without, was dead.
What am I supposed to do now?
It’s a question she wanted answered.
Seven days after a horrifically tragic massacre, it’s a question that 20 sets of parents are asking right now; a question a 300-year-old idyllic town in Connecticut is asking; a question that many of us around the United States and world are asking. It’s even a question my seven-year-old asked regarding his own Christmas.
So, how do we make sense of tragedy? Whether that means a town of families devastated by senseless violence, the loss years ago of a little girl to a previously unknown medical condition, or the challenges we all face in life today?
My friends, a chance encounter with that young mother helped me answer that question — and I hope it empowers you, too.
You see, several years after I walked that young mother out of the hospital and to her car we saw each other in a store. It was right before Christmas, the store was packed, and I didn’t recognize her at first. But she came over, hugged me, and thanked me for being with her during the most painful day of her life. I asked how she was.
She remained crushed everyday, but for the first time she understood what Christmas and life was really all about. It was about celebrating all you have – and all you lost. It was about being grateful for yesterday and hopeful for tomorrow. It was about realizing that in the midst of tragedy, triumph is born. She gave me the Christmas card she sent to all her friends for the holiday.
It was a scene familiar to many of us: a silhouette of three kings making their way to the nativity scene. On the top of the card in bold, black letters “Be Not Afraid.”
Be not afraid.
“John, if it was good enough advice for Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds, it’s good enough for me, too.“
She continued, “I wake up every morning and still cry. Then decide every day to live in such a way that I make my little girl proud. Every experience, every meal, every laughter, and every tear I imagine that she is sharing it with me — and in my heart I know she is. She was so beautiful, so vibrant, and wanted to make the world a better place. Now that’s what I try to do, too.”
My friends, this time of year we all have various reasons to celebrate (Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, festivus, Santa Claus, the end of a difficult year, or the possibility of next year being the best one yet). My wish for you is that during this holiday season you realize that it is in the least likely of places, least likely of people, and least likely of events in which positive change in the world is born.
It was true 2,000 years ago. It remains true today.
Be not afraid.
John O’Leary
www.RisingAbove.com
www.Facebook.com/SpeakerJohnOleary
Over 3,000 leaders from around the world are enlisted in this Movement. Join us in realizing that achieving success personally, relationally, spiritually, financially and professionally is a challenge we ALL face, and one that not any single individual can provide all the information, we have amassed a group of experts from around the world. These leaders will guide us forward in an unmatched leadership development program. Imagine combining the power of TED talks, with a cohesive, purposeful flow of information, in a supportive community, all focused on your growth, your gifts, your goals, your life.
Expect 52 videos, each about 10 minutes in length, challenging and inspiring you to set specific goals, hurdle over personal obstacles and achieve the life you’ve always imagined. Expect a lesson plan accompanying each video that empowers you to take world-class advice and translate it into practical action in your business, your community and your home. Expect a global network of leaders propelling you to take back your life, reimagine your possibility, and boldly take action in authoring your legacy.
Think how quickly 2012 passed.
Why not look back at the end of 2013, realizing that you just lived your best year yet, and that the best is yet to come?
For about the cost of filling up your car one time, you’ll be fueling yourself toward fulfilling the potential of your life.
If you are ready to thrive in life, click the link below, use the following code and you’ll an addition 30%.
This is a world-class program that will absolutely change your life.
Don’t wait any longer.
You are absolutely worth this investment in yourself!
- Go to www.tomhillinstitute.com
- Click “Start Now”
- Click “Add to Cart”
- Save 30% by pasting “145858” into the “apply code box”
- Simply complete registration as directed
The best is yet to come! Take back the possibility of your life today!
We are hugely fortunate to partner with over 150 organizations around the world each year and are blessed with over 20,000 newsletter subscribers. Our mission at Rising Above is to encourage others to take back their life, ignite their possibility and change their world. We view this mission as vitally important and appreciate your help in spreading it.
If you know organizations that might benefit from inviting us to:
- speak at one of their corporate, church, leadership events,
- coach their teams and key leaders toward greater success and significance,
- inspire individuals that might benefit from us motivating them,
then please pass along this newsletter. Through our daily blogs & Facebook posts, weekly newsletters, company events or public sessions, we can make a difference.
John O’Leary
www.RisingAbove.com
www.Facebook.com/SpeakerJohnOleary
Leave a Reply