Starfish

Creatures of the animal world have many amazing ways to survive in the wild.  There is a butterfly who’s wings look like the eyes so that predators will be afraid of them.  Porcupines have large quills that will stick in the predators’ body if they get too close. These qualities help ensure the longevity of their individual lives in a dog eat dog world.

An interesting animal is a Starfish.  This is a beautiful creature that lives in the sea.  There are around 1,800 kinds of starfish that live in the sea.  One trait of this amazing sea critter is how, if a predator removes one or more of their arms, the starfish will actually regenerate itself.  When it does, though, the whole animal will be a different being entirely.  It is like it started over again.

When I took my Trauma Counseling class, one theme that seems to be in everyone who has been through a trauma is the idea of a “New Normal.”  That is, there is no way that a person can go back to the way it was and must live with who they are after the trauma.  It is like a predator biting off 2 of our 5 arms.  We must regenerate the 2 arms lost to survive and through that experience, we become a new creature.  This is often an uncomfortable process for people, but when we add God into it, then it doesn’t seem as bad.

1 Peter 5:10 (NLT) states “ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” God knew that this would happen, He knew where this journey would take us.  As Joseph, standing in front of his brothers when they came to Egypt due to the famine, knowing that the reason Joseph went through all of that was so that he could eventually save his family from death.

Maybe a better way we can handle the traumas in our lives is by embracing the journey and loving the person it has made us.  We may be going through this to help people down the road.  There is a purpose for everything!

Blessings.