PAUSE, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, AND RELEASE IT WITH A PRAYER.
If this virus has taught us anything, hopefully it has taught us that we are NOT in control.
We like to think that we are in control, but if we were, it’s safe to say that we would have stopped COVID-19 a long time ago. We would have put an end to it long before thousands of people all over the world died. Our compassion for others would not have allowed us to see hundreds of businesses close their doors – some permanently – and thousands of people out of work. Most of us are social creatures, and having to self-isolate feels like one step away from solitary confinement. We are living in a state of hypervigilance as we arm ourselves with gloves, mass, and shields just to go to the grocery store. This feels like a nightmare, except that it’s real. So as we wait for this reality to pass, the question becomes how do we wait?
Many of us don’t like waiting for anything. We have become an instant gratification society and world. We believe we should have what we want and how we want it – oh, and we want it now. Information is just a click away and we have become comfortable with the notion that we are in charge and are the center of our universe. As I stated at the opening of this blog, if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that we are not in control. We may influence our destiny with our choices, but we do not have the final say.
As many of you know, I am a Christian therapist and I believe total healing involves mind, body, and spirit. God is in the midst of every client I work with, but my heart goes out to those clients who come to me void of belief in anything except themselves and what they see. What gets many of us through tough times is being able to anchor ourselves in a belief that there is something or someone greater who keeps us, holds us, and gets us through whatever the crisis is… gently carrying us to the other side. For me, that anchor is Jesus. I invite Him into my boat every day because I know I am not in control of anything except myself. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us THIS day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11), because He promised to provide for us, His children.
We have become so indoctrinated in believing that WE must make things happen that we omit the key component in anything happening, which is God. We live, breathe, and have our being because He allows it. We have forgotten how to be children, despite the fact that He gave many of us children to teach us. Let’s step backs and reflect upon a child’s faith.
Our children believe us when we tell them something, and they rely, depend, and take comfort in the promises we make them. They rest in our word simply because we said it. They don’t have to see the promise in advance before they believe it – you said it, so that’s good enough for them.
Most of us have lost our childlike faith. A child’s faith would allow us to have peace in the midst of the storm/virus and rest in the reassurance that God, who is our Big Daddy, is in control. His desire is that we “Be in good health, and prosper as our soul prospers,” (3 John 1:2), so with the faith of a child, we should take Him at His word.
For many of us who are not sure about how rent will get paid next month or what our lives will look like at the end of this crisis, I invite you to pause, take a deep breath, and pray, “Daddy, give me THIS day, my daily bread.”
Take another breath and reflect upon a prayer of gratitude for how He brought you through yesterday. Exhale tension and anxiety for what you have no control over.
Take another breath and choose to reflect on any of the 365 commands God gave us to “Fear not,” or “Let your heart not be troubled,” because He is with us.
Let go and allow God into your boat as He navigates you to the other side of COVID-19.
Anxiety is a human response when we feel overwhelmed or unsafe, but God has the antidote in His word. I close this blog with medicine from scripture to calm your anxious thoughts as you implement your own PDF – pause, take a deep breath, and focus on Philippians 4:6 –8:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your request to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy;
THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS.”
Peace and Blessings,
Gail
P.S. Good Morning My Chickadees: Morning Messages from Mom is coming. Stay tuned.