How To Thrive In Life's Toughest Seasons By Pastor Debra MortonSample

My husband and I are pastors, and we have been very successful in ministry, but when Hurricane Katrina hit us in 2005, it was a tough, challenging, and painful time. That experience, along with several others, has given me some practical keys that I believe will assist you in recovering from whatever life is throwing your way. . . .

No matter how bad life looks, when you have your family and your health, when you are still  breathing and functioning—or as our elders would say, “still in your right mind”—you have a lot to be grateful for. Because when you’ve lost something precious, something irreplaceable, the material things that can be replaced become less significant.

Gratitude is everything. Learning how to be grateful for what you have left is sometimes the very key to surviving a tragedy. You have probably heard the adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” but I am here to tell you that sometimes there is no sugar and you have to find something else to do with the lemons. Sometimes you just have to be determined to see the glass half full instead of half empty, and other times you have to be content with just having a glass.

My point is that all the cute sayings and social media quotes are great, but in life when the rains come and the storms howl, you must be determined to live life after the storm.