What Do We Do When Our Life is Turned Upside Down?
By Alex Murashko
We are all just one phone call away from our life turning upside down. What do we do when we get that call? Do we fall apart in fear or rise up in faith? – Pastor Jason Noble, My Hope City Church, Forward from “Now I See”
Author and speaker Janet Perez Eckles became terrified when, at 30 years old, she lost her sight.
“My life turned upside down because of a disease of the retina,” Eckles told Think Eternity during the recent release of her book, Now I See - How God’s Amazing Grace Turned Betrayal, Blindness, and Heartache to Shining Joy. The book chronicles her life in relation to several episodes of personal tragedy and how God guided her “along a path to healing, redemption, and transformation.”
She writes in the book’s introduction: Some say I should be stuck in the mud of misery. I’m not. Instead, I’m dancing on the stage of victory.
She said that after being told that the disease in her retina was incurable and as it progressively worsened, leading to total blindness, she was “horrified because that meant I had to live the rest of my life blind. It was traumatic for me because I was a very active young woman. I had three little boys.”
“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their distress.” (Psalm 107:13)
Eckles also experienced the death of her youngest son, who was 19. He was murdered and the man that was held responsible was acquitted. It took a lot of soul searching, but Eckles and her husband at the time forgave her son’s murderer.
However, later, it became clear to her that there was a strain in her marriage. As she states in her book: Then, with no warning, my husband of 42 years said ‘adios’ and divorced me. Eckles said that her husband left because “he couldn’t take the drama in our marriage, and he found somebody else.”
Also, from her book:
Each of the above episodes [summarized in book’s introduction] shoved me into a dungeon of devastation. Perhaps similar to one you might be in right now. Thankfully, God didn’t leave me in the dungeon. Instead, He used my lowest points of devastation to guide me along a path to healing, redemption, and transformation. A path He invites you to take as well.
“I was physically blind, emotionally blind, and to some extent, spiritually blind because I didn’t know the Lord,” she said. “There were days that I wanted to give up, but I couldn’t because my little guys needed me.”
A friend invited her to church and although Eckles was raised Catholic as a child, hearing the Gospel or reading the Bible seemed like it was not resonating with her.
“As a very good Catholic girl, I did all those rituals and I did everything that I was supposed to,” she said. Upon attending the church, along with her friend, she explained, “This time, I was hearing scripture with my heart. That was when a single verse changed everything.”
From the message at the church, Matthew 6:33 spoke to her.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
“God was speaking to me,” Eckles said. “I was seeking to be able to see again, to be normal again. But He was saying to seek me first. I was dying inside. I asked Him, ‘How does one seek you?’ Well, He answered that one right away. A friend gave me the Bible on audio. So, with a headset on, I began to listen to the Bible, to God’s word, His promises, and His instructions.
“What happened is that it was almost like He was speaking to me personally.”
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Eckles began to believe God.
She prayed: “If that's what You say, I’m going to hang on to it. I’m going to engrave it in my heart and I’m going to live by what You are telling me.”
Eckles listened to the Gospel message every day. “My heart just began to fill with His truth. I wasn’t that person anymore who listened to those lies (about being unworthy). I was the daughter of the King.”
“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.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
“It’s a victorious abundant life He gave me,” she said. “All we need to do is just obey in order to be set free.”
Addressing those who say, “This is too much for me,” Eckles said, “We can have a victory revolution in Christ. You have to reach a point when you say, “Enough!”
“The world can turn upside down, but we can rise up above it. Life can be ugly, but look who I serve. We are victorious in Christ. We are more than conquerors. We need to live like it.”
Alex Murashko is lead writer for the Thinke writing team. He highlights Christ followers within the media industry at Media on Mission.
Connect: @AlexMurashko