Have you faced at some point in the course of your life, a V8 moment, where you suddenly find yourself in the throes of a monumental setback, aka, gut wrenching, cookie tossing, catastrophic failure and wondered what the heck happened?
If you have or are now in the midst of one now, take heart, you're not alone. There are countless thousands of us, who have experienced this rude awakening over the last few years, financially, physically, romantically and psychologically. And it hurts, far beyond words can express.
Knowing there are others who have been there, done that and have the healing scars to prove it, may not make what we're going through, any easier. What it does do, however, is convey hope. Hope, that if people in our midst, in spite of the setbacks, can survive and somehow manage to thrive, we can too.
Just for kicks and giggles, what would you rank as the greatest monumental setback of all time? Possibly the Civil War or WWII, or maybe something as recent as the nightmare of the Healthcare.Gov computer glitches that are currently preventing people who need insured the most, from enrolling. Or maybe a famous personality that weathered the storms of life, only to make a monumental comeback. Hold that thought, if you please. I'll attempt to give you my answer by the end of this read.
Let's take Peyton Manning for example. His college career, at our beloved University of Tennessee, made him the most famous and talented football player ever to run through the T. His number one rank in the NFL draft of 2008, led him to the Indianapolis Colts and the rest is now history; well sort of.
Peyton's recurring neck injuries, over time, eventually put him through numerous surgeries and on the sidelines and out of the game for the entire 2011 season. Could one say monumental setback? What about his beloved Colts, releasing him to free agency after being declared "healthy," another monumental gut wrenching setback, you betcha?
What the owner's couldn't see was the heart and soul of this man, his passionate love for the game and his relentless attitude, to do whatever it takes to come back. Looking at Peyton and the Bronco's awesome win loss record this year, could we not say outstanding, monumental comeback, you betcha?
Look at Dave Ramsey, another Tennessean, famous author and financial guru, who experienced the exhilaration of prosperity, until 2006, when out of the blue, the throes of adversity came calling. How do you think he would have described his loss of millions and bankruptcy, a 'fluffy" financial set back or a catastrophic monumental, crash and burn, failure? I can guarantee you wholeheartedly, when you're in the throes of chaos and your "friends" have abandoned you, catastrophic is a relatively kind word.
But Dave used his intelligence, his faith, and most of all, his compassion to turn his world and eventually, the lives of millions more and counting, around. Today, I am proud to say, he is featured on just about every medium there is, working tirelessly, to prevent other "common folk," like you and me, from experiencing the excruciating pain of financial setback and failure. Can we not agree, Dave Ramsey has and continues to achieve, just like Peyton Manning, a monumental comeback?
And then there's me. Over the last thirty years, I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, both personally and financially. I have built numerous companies from the ground up, only to give them away or watch them die a slow and painful death, because of the collapse of the economy and the real estate market in my circle.
As of late, I've watched from a front row seat, an almost thirty year relationship go down in flames. I've also found myself, for the very first time, on the receiving end of generosity,rather than on the giving end; with limited resources, with which to repay.
I've found myself looking for some type of employment, all the while knowing, even though I've done everything from retail, to food service, to construction and development, I can't adequately fill out a resume, because my previous employer, over the last thirty plus years has gone out of business, me.
Have I experienced a monumental setback, most definitely? Have I thought of giving up, tossing in the towel and or waving the white flag of surrender? I have, sadly enough, more than once, I assure you. Thankfully, my cup is always half full and therein lies my hope.
Sometimes we have to be broken to be made whole. Is there a monumental comeback in my future? You can bet on it. In the meantime, I've learned many life lessons that I too, wish on no one, but me. If you're there or have been there, you can relate to the following words.
I've learned who my true friends are. Heck, I've even learned who my true family is. You'll never know whom you can always count on, until you have nothing left to give. I've learned that I can survive on little and sometimes nothing. I've learned, above all else, what is most important, in the grand scheme of things, are the people that care about you. "Happiness," as defined by me, "is found, not in what you have, but in, who you have in your life."
I say all this, to tell you, that we are slowly ploughing our way back. And you can be too. There are however, certain truths that must come into play,none of which are more important than, your dreams, your faith and your hope. Let no one ever take your dreams away. For when the dreams stop, so will the breathing.
Thankfully I have never lost my faith, nor my hope. Even now, as you're reading this blog, eighteen months ago, writing was the farthest thing from my mind. Would you believe, as of last week, I've finished my first novel. Dang, me an author? Who would have thought it, certainly not me? Not even a host of my former friends could imagine me writing a fictional love story, "sprinkled with truth" on redemption and restoration. I'll provide you a link at the end to read the preface. We hope to launch it after the first of the year and your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
But back to my question, that I asked at the beginning of this read, who or what would you describe as the greatest monumental setback, followed by the greatest monumental comeback?
I nominate Jesus, who, after being welcomed to this Earth, as the Son of God, was crucified on the cross, like a common, ruthless criminal. A catastrophic monumental setback for sure. But then after three, disastrous and dark days, His Resurrection brought forth the greatest monumental comeback of all time. Just imagine, the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead, is available to us, right here, right now; to empower us and inspire us to create our own monumental comeback. Therein lies our Hope. We've done it before and we can do it again. Let no one or no thing keep us from believing otherwise.
Stay tuned.
Click on this link to read an excerpt from our first novel:
"Ride to Redemption."