Vitae Accidit or Stercus Accidit

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well; it is well with my soul.

Interesting blue hymnal song, one that’s way too easy to dismiss as being, well, old. Horatio Spafford penned this classic tune after his worldly assets were reduced to ashes by the great Chicago fire of 1871 and just after the deaths of his four children, who drown while crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1873. Scripture tells us: “...We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed…” Russian novelist and philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote: “The darker the night, the brighter the stars; the deeper the grief, the closer is God.” When something happens as horrific as Spafford’s loss it can be devastating, yet he wasn’t crushed – he rose above his grief. Spafford got closer to God. He chose to survive and thrive; He chose to honor the dead by living well; He chose to write, despite his loss “It is Well with My Soul”. Father, May I have the courage to say regardless of my circumstances, it is well with my soul, Amen. CLICK HERE  for a TED Talk with even more encouragement about thriving after loss. Be well…pkes minmchurch #churchpearland