Keep Living, Until You are Alive Again!
You know when you are walking through a hard time and people throw those 'lovely' phrases at you to to help them feel better about your hard time? Like, “God doesn't give you more than you can handle.”—Umm, not helpful. I won’t get into a theology debate but every day people are carrying things they can’t handle on their own. Hence, our need for God and community. And God through our community. Sometimes God is our community. I believe 'it rains on the just, and the unjust’ (Matthew 5:45) and God allows all sorts of things to happen in life that we can’t handle.
I have been a little M.I.A lately from ministry life, so let me catch you up. If you haven’t noticed me missing, please don’t mention it to me—my fragile self-esteem can’t handle the rejection. ;) Just kidding. Kind of…
Anyways, holy moly what a season the last several months have been! I like to call the last several months my ‘F-ALLLL’—Let me give you a little glimpse through a window of my journey through it--I was actually helping lead a women's retreat about 2 months in to this ‘wonderful’ Fall season, and on the last night of the retreat, I had a mini-meltdown (nice way of saying ‘breakdown’). Thank God I was surrounded by so many Godly women who knew the circumstances and swept in and made decisions for me, put me to bed (sometimes a good night of rest is what we need most), and got me home the next morning.
What led to my breakdown? I don’t need to bore you with ALL of the details and circumstances that led to it. But to summarize; a sudden move (we love our new place though!). Launching a non-profit. Some major business changes. AND to TOP it ALL off--my hubby had a health scare for a few months. Actually he had a ‘health issue’—and I had the 'health scare'. Because I was s.c.a.r.e.d to death of his health issue. He was/is faith filled and steady through it all. Lucky him… Meanwhile I got to face all my worst fears in 4 short months. It was a ‘fun’ time, just ask my therapist.
All that to say, guess what? I survived! My only advice to you if you are walking through your own F-ALLLL? Keep going. Fight the despair this world throws at you. No season lasts forever and brighter days will come...I promise. And try to laugh! Find people or things to laugh with/at—but laugh! You are loved! “It rains on the just and the un-just”—so don’t feel like you are being punished! God doesn’t punish us, BUT He promises to walk with us through it ALLLL. So please keep walking. This world needs you. And this world needs you as you journey through your F-ALLLL, not only afterwards when the sun is shining.
As much as I would like to say the sun is always shining now—it’s not. But I found my way back to what matters. God’s g.r.a.c.e. walking me through life. And finding my true self along the way. So hang in there friend, YOU ARE LOVED!
I recently heard a quote that I love. “Keep living, until you are alive again.”—Life in this broken world we walk through wants to kill the life right out of us… But, keep going. Keep living until you are alive again… Our God is a God of resurrection. He resurrects circumstances of life every day… YOU are NOT alone.
I am reading “The Furious Longing Of God” by Brennan Manning and in it he shares the story of a nun he counseled to sit every day and recite a verse from Song of Solomon over herself like it was spoken directly from God to her.
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”—I believe if we can internalize this radical love God has for us, the sting of circumstances can lesson day by day.
No matter what you are walking through—keep living, until you are alive again! YOU are deeply LOVED and needed!
Much LOVE & GRACE from your friend,
