Rogue Waves #5

One other reason God allows suffering is to open your eyes to people’s needs all around you. Many Christians find their calling through a Rogue Wave.

A funny thing happens after a Rogue Wave hits your life. You’ll never be the same again. It doesn’t matter what it was or how severe the blow might have been. The experience changes you. When you’ve gone through a Rogue Wave, you tend to want to help others who are just now being hit by a similar Rogue Wave.

Perhaps you’ve gone through a bitter divorce. At times the pain and heartbreak has been overwhelming. But much later, after the wounds have begun to heal, you’re likely to want to help others going through divorce. So you get involved in a divorce recovery program and lend a helping hand to others with a more recent trauma.

Maybe you’ve struggled with an addiction for years. Through a Twelve Step program and a sponsor’s help, you begin to experience sobriety. This life-altering experience becomes something you want other substance abusers to experience. So you start a Twelve Step group or step into a leadership role in an existing group.

Or it may be that you spent money recklessly, piling up debts you can never repay. You’ve been harassed by debt collectors or the IRS, and had the bank foreclose your home. In fact, maybe you were forced to declare bankruptcy and slowly rebuild an acceptable credit rating. When the dust settles, you tend to develop a desire to help others learn sound financial practices through budgeting and avoiding credit cards.

Whatever the Rogue Wave might be, chances are  good that some believer who has endured the storm is now helping others in similar circumstances. Although the Rogue Wave was a devastating blow, God has a way of turning our tragedies into triumphs. Romans 8:28 (NASB) explains, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

In December, 2003 I was devastated when my wife of 30 years unexpectedly died at age 52. The pain and grief were almost unbearable. In the midst of my sorrow, God called me to go to Angola, Africa. I went with a grief that seemed overwhelming. Then I met people who knew true grief – far beyond anything I had experienced. As a result of a 27 year civil war, the Angolans lost everything! They fled for their lives to neighboring countries and lived in makeshift refugee camps. Their only goal was to eat their next meal. Many of their loved ones had been killed in the fighting. Some were permanently disabled with arms or legs blown away by land minds. You want to talk about suffering? The Angolans ate, slept, and lived suffering every day for 27 years!

I learned what true grief looks like, and my experience paled by comparison. God instilled within in me a deep desire to spend the rest of my life helping people in developing countries. I never would’ve chosen this path for myself. But God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, worked all things together for God to bring me through my own Rogue Wave. And he instilled within me a passion to help those suffering in insufferable conditions. And I couldn’t be more grateful.

What Rogue Waves have happened in your life? What new sensitivities have you developed because of your experience? What passions are stirring in your heart to help others who are just beginning to face what you faced? Perhaps, like me, God is leading you on a new path, one filled with meaning, purpose and a sense of fulfillment. Why not take a moment right now to reflect on your own Rogue Waves? Then listen for the still, small voice of God whispering in your ear.