Turning on the Light

How to find hope in Dark Times: My Personal Account

At the beginning of October, Meghan wrote a blog about the devastation that Western North Carolina had experienced and how we should Anchor our Hope in Christ. It was a great post, and I wanted to expand on it, giving my personal account.

While I don’t live there, a part of my heart belongs to the North Carolina Mountains. Some of my fondest memories happened in the western part of North Carolina; including my engagement and wedding. Like many others, I cried when I saw the pictures and videos of the devastation and loss that occurred with Helene. I grieved the loss of hundreds of lives, beautiful communities, homes, and landscapes.

Then I saw an update from our friends at Brown Mountain Beach Resort, the place where I was married, my favorite spot in the North Carolina mountains. The video started with “we are not ok…” and my friend, battered and shaken explaining the devastation and loss he had just experienced. They almost lost their lives. They lost all of their possessions and home had to be gutted due to the 25 inches of rain and mud that filled it. Their business, a beautiful wedding venue was devastated. Their parent’s home had washed off its foundation. My heart broke as I watched and waited for more updates.

As I grieved, all I could think about was, how can I help? Questions filled my mind as I tried to make plans and answer the call to help. What can I do? I am at least 7 hours away. All roads are closed. They said to stay away. Stores are selling out of supplies. I have a toddler. I can’t help the way that I used to because it is difficult to serve while you chase a toddler around. Plus, it could be dangerous, and we can’t just sleep in a car or in a tent with our little girl.

My husband and I wanted to help as many as we could if we were going to make the journey up to the mountains. So, we spent about a week reaching out to friends and churches, gathering supplies and deciding the first place we needed to help was our friends. Our friends have 3 adopted children that live at home. We wanted to help them and bring them something special. Their oldest daughter is a big Harry Potter fan, so I ordered a shirt for her. The quote on the shirt said this:

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light" -- Albus Dumbledore

As I looked at that shirt, I thought about that quote and if a 13-year-old girl who had just experienced tremendous darkness would be able to “find the light.” I thought, is there light in this darkness? Can someone find peace and hope in the disaster? If so, where is the light?

I prayed about these questions as my family and I headed into the mountains, not knowing what to expect. We weren’t sure if we could make it to our friends with all of the roads closed. We weren’t sure where we would sleep. We didn’t know if we could find enough gasoline to get back home; or if we could help or just be in the way.  We were afraid that our daughter could handle the trip and we we questioned if we could be gone for more than just a few days. However, followed our hearts and took a chance.

On this journey, we saw the incredible of love and community. We saw strangers helping each other and sacrificing for their neighbors. We saw incredible resilience and an abundance of Grace. Through all of this, our anxieties were worked out. We had a comfortable place to sleep. Our daughter has thrived and loved being in the place as much as we do. We got the chance to hug our friends, cry with them, pray with them, and help them rebuild. We stayed for more than just a few days and were with them for almost 2 weeks. In our experience, we found and “turned on the light.”

So what is the light?

Jesus is the Light!

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

With every story of survival from this storm, you hear of hope, grace, and God’s mercy. There are testimonies of protection. There are stories of faith and hope; of people trusting that God will continue to be with them as they rebuild their lives. Cling to these stories and seek to find Jesus in your trial. As you do this, you will be filled with the light of Jesus and can face any storm with peace. If you are struggling to find Jesus in your storm, check out this blog written by Gordon Dasher; it is a great personal testimony from someone from western North Carolina.

My Christian brothers and sisters, YOU are the light!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14 NIV)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, if we want to see light in the darkest hour, WE must turn it on. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. It is our responsibility to help those in need, to show the light to the world. We were blessed to witness the love of Jesus through the service of others during our time in the mountains. However, it doesn’t need to stop now that the devastation is not shown daily in the news.

The road to recovery will be long and difficult. The need will continue for months for some, and years for others. And for those who lost loved ones in the tragedy, grief could be experienced for their entire lifetime. We need to come together and continue to show love to those in need daily. There are many resources on how you can help others during this difficult time. For some of those resources, please check out Meghan’s previous blog here.

At Anchored Hope Counseling, we want to also offer our help to anyone who was affected by Helene. If you or someone you know is struggling with the impacts of Hurricane Helene or any other season of suffering, turn to Anchored Hope Counseling in Kannapolis, NC. Anchored Hope Counseling provides a wide range of therapy services from couples counseling to personal one-on-one sessions. View a list of our offerings online, or schedule a consultation today. If you liked these tips remember to subscribe to our weekly blog for more news and insights. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.