I often compare the period of time when we left the church in 2010 as the perfect storm. It was like our lives were hit by a tsunami and after it was over we were surrounded by devastation. I didn’t plan on it. There were no warnings. It just happened. And it happened fast.

It takes time to clean your own wounds. It takes time to clean up. It takes time to rebuild. Following some good advice from our counselor, we’re redesigning our lives. We’re building into it more beauty, freedom, fun, friends, and adventure. But we’re also building into it more structural soundness. We’re putting more time into the foundations. We are totally rethinking the way we think things.

Our lives still have the signs that we’re survivors of devastation. But we already show promise of being healthier in the long run.

Give yourself time. Let the waters recede. Let the disaster cleanup proceed. If you do, eventually you will have a nice clean plot of land to rebuild on.

So start designing what you want it to look like.