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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

I got disheartening news this week. The worst part of it was that it seemed to have come out of the blue. So here I sit, listening to this individual, and it was as if everything around me was in slow motion. I know that all problems are figure-out-able, but at that moment, the whole world seemed as though it was crashing down around me.

I’ve learned that I need to give myself time to determine the size of the problem at hand. I’ve witnessed people overreact time and time again, and often their overzealous response actually makes things worse. So even though I knew this was going to be a time and energy-consuming situation I’d be navigating, I gave myself a moment.

I quietly bore the weight of this new information and carried on with my day. As I was walking through the building, a colleague said something to me that lightened my load. They had no knowledge of what was weighing on me, and their comment was actually directed toward a different situation. However, at that moment, their words felt like a ray of warm sunshine breaking through the clouds.

It reminded me that I’m not alone in this.

The next day I witnessed an act of selflessness, followed shortly by more uplifting remarks. Someone agreed to pick up a few hours at work to give their co-worker a much needed break. Another person volunteered to take on an extra responsibility if that would make things easier. Throughout the week I was blessed with conversations filled with gratitude for the work my team does.

Looking back on it, it seemed as though every few hours I heard or saw someone helping out another and doing good. For a moment, I thought my world was falling apart, but instead I watched my community rise up to the challenge.

It honestly felt like a moment from a movie. Where slowly people start raising their hands in the symbol of the mockingjay to show their silent, yet strong solidarity. It was beautiful.

As I left work tonight, I could feel it all around me. It was hope. The clouds were breaking just enough and the light was shining through them. I am fortunate to know and work with some really good people. I’m still not sure how everything is going to work out, but I know it will. The Lord’s timing is always perfect and right now, I’m leaning into that.

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” — Dieter F Uchtdorf

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.