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Friday, July 06, 2012

Great Value In Disaster


A few Sundays ago, I heard this story about a fire that destroyed much of Thomas Edison's life's work. Some of you may know it, but for those of you who don't, I think it will inspire you. I love Thomas Edison's quote:

“There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

In my life this past year I've been seeing the value in loss. I've not gone into it here, but have alluded to the range of emotions I've felt as I've faced changes I didn't expect. Yes, the losses have been painful, but as I move forward I also see what Edison said as holding true. When life goes up in flames-- whatever that looks like for each of us-- we lose our successes but we also lose our failures. And in the ashes, there is the chance for a fresh start.

Some of you are facing loss of varying kinds. The loss of a marriage. The loss of a career. The loss of a friendship. The loss of a home. The loss of a role. And in that loss there is the pang of losing what you held dear. But there is also the glimmer of hope that comes with knowing that, while the good stuff is gone, the bad stuff is too. Maybe today all we need to say is "Thank God we can start anew."

So I'll leave you with a song I love called Start Again by a group I love, The Blue Nile. The recording is not the best, but it's the song that was running through my head as I wrote this post. I hope that we can all find the strength to start again, the hope amidst the ashes.

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3 comments:

Mary DeMuth said...

Thanks for this post. So so so important. We cling so tightly to things we think we need for joy, but I've found as you have found that when things are taken away, we learn we can live without. Why? Because God is the greatest gift.

Zibilee said...

Marybeth, I am losing a lot right now, and am still in some stages of grief and disbelief, so this post was a bit of a healing balm on some of the more painful wounds. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I read this post at the right time. I am dealing with;the loss of a marriage, career, ministry, so-called friendships,the loss of a home. I loved the song,'Start Again.' Your words and the song inspired a the beginnings of a poem.