I Will Call Upon

Why is everything so hard these days? I found myself asking this morning on my walk.  Why do even the simplest tasks seem to be so overwhelming?  Why am I not stronger?

I have a feeling these are questions you’ve been asking yourself recently.  Why does everything seem so overwhelming?

And honestly, the answer is pretty simple.  If you are feeling overwhelmed these days it’s because, chances are, you’ve never had to do (thank you Prince) this thing called life during a pandemic that has shut down the world.

So yeah, taking out the trash, doing the laundry, feeding the kids … feeding yourself … all of these things that we are used to doing without giving them a second’s thought … seem so much more now because of the pandemic, the worry about our finances, our health, our children’s education, our family’s health—all of these things are taking up every last bit of emotional strength we have.

And there is nothing left for the normal stuff.

But here is where I feel optimistic … despite everything going on in the world right now, we’re still doing the normal stuff.  The kids are getting fed.  The dog still gets his walk.  The chores eventually get done.

We’re still here.

We’re surviving.

And yes it’s hard, but that doesn’t make us weak—that makes us strong.

We are doing everything we used to do, but doing it now through a pandemic, a generational event, the consequences of which we will be dealing with for many years to come.

We’re doing it.

Even when we are weak, we are strong.  

You are strong.  God wants you to know this.  He is with you.  And you are strong.

Today's prayer.

Lord, whenever the darkness

of night seems oppressive,

whenever the clouds hang

low over my head,

whenever I feel the weight

of the world pushing down

on my shoulders as I walk,

let me always remember

to call upon You, Lord.

Because even when my feet stumble,

even when I fall and feel the cold

pavement against my cheek,

You are there Lord.

No matter how weak I feel,

no matter how tired and weary,

You pull me out of my nightmares,

You rescue me from my fears.

You lift me up,

and You walk with me,

and You carry me.

Your hand is always on my arm,

guiding me, keeping me straight

on the path, though my legs may wobble.

Your grace, Lord.

Your grace is sufficient.

Your mercy and grace,

Your love and faithfulness

flow through me in all my struggles.

and therefore, whenever I am weak,

then I am strong with You.

Amen.

2 Corinthians 12:9-11