There's a common saying that goes: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." This was what came to my mind when I saw the line of this week's prompt, DANCING IN THE STORM. Life is all about storms upon storms; some occur at a low level while others happen more heavily. But one thing is certain: life’s problems cannot kill us. From studies, especially from religious sermons, we are told that God will not allow a problem bigger than us to come our way. That’s very true from what I’ve seen in life. So, whenever life’s problems come, it is expected of us to fight back and play along with them in such a way that we shock them, and the storm will leave angrily in a very surprising manner.
I remember a particular day when I was still at home in the village. We went to work (hustling) on the outskirts of the village and found out that there was a house that had burnt down, and the owner was a pastor. When we got to the scene, no one was there because it had happened two days earlier. We stayed there, looking at the scene and imagining the kind of shock the event had caused the owner. As for me, I put myself in his position, and all I could say was that I wished such a thing wouldn’t happen to me because I didn’t think I could survive hearing or seeing that the house I built with my money had been burned down and I wasn’t able to salvage anything from it.
While we were there, the pastor drove in to take some photos of the place. We quickly rushed to greet him and offer our sympathy. I don't know if he was faking it, but he was all smiles and said, “As long as there’s life, there’s no problem because I can build another one.” This man isn’t rich enough to immediately build a replacement house, which made me feel he was perhaps putting on a brave face to keep others from seeing his pain.
But whether fake or real, that’s how life is supposed to be. Storms of life are bound to happen in one way or another, and it’s up to us to show that we can face them, dance to the rhythm, and conquer them. Just like the pastor said, as long as there’s life, there’s always a chance and an opportunity to rebuild or recover anything we’ve lost.
The case of a burnt house is simple compared to the death of a loved one. When a loved one dies, life feels like it’s ending, but no, it never ends that way. That’s the storm that person must face, and in time, they will overcome it. This is life for us.
Thank you.
I wrote this as an entry to the Hive ReahOut prompt