In this episode of Unexpected Turns, host Laura Wilcox has a conversation with Madison, who recalls her worst day ever as a high school student years ago. On the same day, Madison experiences a breakup with her boyfriend, the discovery of a terrible rumor circulating in school about her, and a grade that falls well below the perfectionistic standards she places upon herself. At the end of this terrible day, Madison comes home, refuses to eat dinner, and buries herself deep under her covers to pour out her complaints to God.
As Madison cries out to God about the disconnect that she feels between God's promises and her current reality, an increasingly loud thunderstorm rages outside her bedside window. Expressing her anger and sorrow over her day, she finally tells God she has no intention of ever going back to school or even leaving her bed. At that moment, the cacophony of the wild thunderstorm suddenly and completely stops. She realizes just as suddenly that God is present and has never left her alone.
As her perspective shifts, Madison begins to pray in a different way, and the rain begins falling softly again. God reminds her that evening and in the following days back at school that he is close and constant. As she faces the situations that devastated her on that horrible day, she slowly learns to find her security, identity, and worth in God's love, instead of in uncertain and unsteady circumstances.
When Madison's story, High School Hope, was released on the Sacred Story website, Madison shared it with her current friends. Conversations about the challenges of high school followed, and Madison found those friendships growing closer. Bonding between women often occurs when they share how difficult experiences have led to deeper faith. Schedule a Sacred Story Retreat for your women's group to experience the power of sharing stories.
