by Carmen K. Maendel
Inspiration for My Chapter: Moments of Impact
Hello friend, I am Carmen K. Maendel and I am a child of God. I feel incredibly blessed and honored to part of this incredible book anthology, Pray Don’t Panic with these other amazing women. My inspiration for my chapter, Moments of Impact came through a childhood experience of mine. My mother helped me
remember all the crucial details to a particularly eventful moment when I was a little girl. Our family was in the middle of putting on several additions to our home, and there was a large storm glass window propped up outside against our home. I was playing and somehow this large window came crashing down on me, while shards of glass poked into my neck from every angle. My mother yelled, “Stop, don’t move!” and I was miraculously removed from all these shards of glass unscathed. God protected me then when I was a little girl at that moment, and He has protected me in my life ever since.
As I reflected upon that story my mother had shared with me, I began to think of the analogy of God helping me when that large storm glass window comes crashing down during my life. Thus, the title fo my chapter: Moments of Impact. I have a beautiful image of God placing these pieces of broken glass back together again; the same way He helps me put the broken pieces of my life back together again. There are several moments in my life that I know everything will be ok because God is in complete control of everything in my life. I do not need to worry or lean on my own understanding. My life verse: Proverbs 3: 5- 6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” helps me not worry and know that God sees things differently than I do, and He is in complete control of every facet of my life. This helps me “choose to not be offended” in various scenarios of life as well. Our family verse: Isaiah 40:31 “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles.” also is a wonderful reminder that things happen in God’s timing and God’s way, not my own. The combination of these two verses is comforting to know that I may not understand what is happening in my life and it may not be in the timing that I expect it to happen, and that is ok. I do not need to panic at all about it, and instead I need to pray.
Sneek Peek Into My Chapter: Moments of Impact
I recount various childhood to adult memories and use examples of ways God has shown up when that glass window comes crashing down, metaphorically, and guides me in a way that helps me pick up the broken pieces and start again. One of the first moments like this was during my parents divorce. I speak more about this in my article: Moments of Impact in the book, Pray Don’t Panic. Two other very impactful times during my life happened during college when my father was battling cancer and my best friends little brother and fiancé were killed in a car accident. My best friend miraculously survived the accident and we have remained very close friends to this day.
Another very painful moment of impact in our lives was when my husband and I were pregnant with twins and we lost our babies. I go into much deep detail in my chapter about that extremely painful and debilitating period of time in our lives. I speak about numerous times that we plan to move or do something else in life and God has a completely different plan for us in mind. Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” I talk about how I feel led to close a business I put my heart, blood, sweat, and tears into for eight years, Maendel Fitness, when my husband had a job offer outside of our immediate area. This has turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we now own and operate Nate’s Property Maintenance LLC together as a husband and wife team. I would not be able to do this if I was still owning and operating my gym and spa at our home, Maendel Fitness.
Application to Every Day Life
I hope and pray that someone can read my chapter: Moments of Impact in the book, Pray Don’t Panic and they can be encouraged regardless of what phase of life they are in, or what adversity they are facing at the time. I hope they pray instead of panicking regardless of the situation they find themselves in. Conflict and adversity will happen in life. It is not what happens to us in life that is most important; it is how we react to what happens to us in life that really counts. So the next time you are faced with a problem, look at it as a challenge instead of a problem and rely on God’s strength not your own to help formulate a solution. Pray, Don’t Panic!
Photo Credit: Heidi Adele Photograph
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