Man, my world was rocked recently!

Flipped upside down.

Faith challenged.

Tested and dragged beyond my comfort limits.

A dramatic series of events and intense emotional warfare I haven’t experienced in a very long time.

But guess what? I’m not going to dwell in the suckery of it all. I’m going to spare the details, because they are insignificant. What I am going to do is share how I’m moving through it. That is what I consider most meaningful and authentic.

Why? Because sh*t happens! Yes, even to me. We all have things that happen to us that push us and force us to grow. So, when things come up that rattle and shake us, we must remember that it is all part of a bigger plan.

We are constantly evolving. If we aren’t being challenged, we aren’t changing. And if we aren’t changing, then we are staying the same. Let’s face it, what’s the point of staying the same, when life has so much more to offer when we stretch and reach to meet our higher potential?

There is and UPside of Upside-Down. In fact, there are 8 upsides, in my opinion. Here’s what we can look at and practice when things in our world get flipped upside down:

1)   Owning It

Clearly, I allowed this situation to arise in some form. I did not follow my intuition and ignored some red flags. That was my contribution. I chose to go against my instincts. I had spiritual guidance whispering to me, but let the situation become louder than my inner voice. We always know, deep down, when something feels off.  I will own it.

When we own our contribution to situations it allows us necessary room for our own improvement.

2)   A Test of Faith

This might sound crazy, but I’m actually sort of excited about this in a weird way. Why? Because it is just another chance for my faith to gain strength and momentum. The neat thing is that I’m not mad or worried. I know that God is in control and that there is no need for me to do anything other than turn to him for strength, guidance and grace.

When God wants something for our life, nothing will be able to stop it. And the same thing goes for when He doesn’t. He will block it so fast; it will make our heads spin. Divine certainty. It’s a beautiful thing.

3)   Prayer Warrior Practice

What an awesome opportunity for me to pray even more. And trust me I have been. Not only for myself but also for those involved in the situation. I pray that somehow God will be glorified through it all and for all our hearts and lives to be changed for the better.

That He will give me strength and help me to keep calmness and peace when the devil would love nothing more than to shatter me and put me out of commission. It was a valiant effort, I must say, but because I have a strong prayer life, I trust and I know that God is right here with me, putting his healing hands on the entire situation.

When we experience chaos in our lives, we have the opportunity to choose prayer over worry.

4)   Motivational Wisdom

Maybe this was just another stimulus to add to my writing arsenal: the fuel for the fire. It already has given me a barrage of things to write about. It was a good dose of spiritual combat that allowed me to put on my armor and battle emotions I don’t always feel – anger, frustration, disappointment, sadness. I get to practice a lot of what I preach. I will take the experience and use it to inspire not only myself but hopefully others.

Life is full of hard knocks, and they might knock us down, but they don’t have to keep us there.

5)   True Strength

I read a quote not too long ago that said:

“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”

I don’t know who said this, but it is so on point. I have a lot of eyes on me and it would be easy for me to throw in the towel, slip into a funk and let this tornado affect my work. And if I did, those who know me would totally understand. But, I’m not going to do that. I’ve come too far and worked too hard to let anything dim my light.

I look at this as just one more way for me to set an example of what it means to be strong. Heck, if I can stay 5 years sober, then I can make it through just about anything.

Remember its all relative. Our inner strength only gains power through overcoming trials.

6)   The Inner Circle

It is not very often that I turn to my circle for comfort or advice, but when I do, they sure do know how to come to my relief. I’m extremely thankful for my family and friends – you know who you are!

It is in times of struggle that we find out it doesn’t matter how much time has passed, how much distance there may be or what time of day it is, our inner circle is ready to dive into the trenches with us. What a blessing it is to be able to share life together.

7)   Forgiveness

We all need it. All the time. I’ve already forgiven this event. There is no need for me to hold any grudges or mull it over. There is no such thing as perfect and mistakes happen. Instead, my response is to practice forgiveness and compassion.

I don’t have time or energy to focus on the negative or carry it with me. My luggage only has room for what I want to bring with me into the future. And the only thing I’m bringing with me there is love and good energy. Ain’t nobody got time for the other stuff!

When we forgive, we release ourselves from the weight of dragging the past along with us into the future.

8)   The Lesson

Chalk it up as new lessons learned. It’s just another fork in the road where I get the opportunity to prayerfully move forward in new directions. One of my friends said it best:

“Well, it’s about time you had some good drama in your life! You were sort of coasting along for a while without anything new to test you. Way to join the rest of us!”

Truth! There is always beauty in the breakdown. The real beauty lies in the lessons we take along with us for the ride. The lessons are what keep us on our toes and give us a ride to remember because let’s be honest, in the end, we were put on this earth to give this life all we’ve got.

What we tend to learn is that we are much stronger than we think we are. With every bump in the road we get to practice new ways of building our core and adding another layer of muscle into our foundation.

So the next time your world gets turned upside down, just remember there is always an UPside to it. And even in the storms, which life is full of, we can always be certain Miracles Are Brewing…

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a Ride!”     -Hunter S. Thompson