Love over Circumstances
I’ve been thinking a lot about the last few weeks. This is probably one of the most drastic and sudden changes that I have experienced in my life (and I’m sure many others), so its natural to have to process. I feel like we have been so completely isolated, and yet so completely saturated with opinions, thoughts, encouragements, ideas, and comments through social media. Since we are physically separated from our normal social circles, it’s like social media is buzzing more than I even thought it was capable of. There are positives and negatives to that, but for me the danger in constantly turning to social media is that I’m allowing the thoughts and opinions of others to take place of my own processing.
There are a lot of challenges to social distancing with a toddler. Normally we moms get an occasional break or breather, but today is the first day since this began that I am actually getting more than an hour to myself. That’s about 14 days, people. I’ve always loved watching shows like Tiny House Nation, and imagined that I could totally thrive in a minimalistic, small home. Fast forward to this moment in time, sitting in the ever-shrinking walls of our duplex, and I realize that there are a lot of things I was naive and ignorant about. Like, how it would be nice to have a home office… or, maybe a real backyard?!
As I’ve trudged through these days, an anthem keeps resonating in my heart, repeatedly. Oh, wait. It’s a song from Frozen 2!
Some Things Never Change.
In this time, we are learning an important lesson. What truly matters to you? When all the distractions are stripped away, when everything (literally, everything) is shut down, what goes on? There are moments where I feel a fear rising up in my gut, and remember that I cling to two things:
1) The Lord of the Universe has me. He’s not surprised. He’s still in control. He’s moving, He’s working, He’s bringing hope & peace in such an uncertain time.
2) What matters to me is what remains. I have what I need. I have my family close by. I’m connected to the people I love. I’m connected to God’s people. I’m not alone, there are millions of people walking through the same thing and we are doing this together. Not to mention, I can still go buy groceries. There’s food on the shelves. There’s leaves in the backyard, coffee filters, tissues, and towels… for desperate times. 🧻🚽 I’m a firm believer in this truth, and I fight my battles with it every day: God has given us everything we need. So we take it day by day.
When the entire world comes to a screeching halt, some things will still never change. I am loving the fact that I have time to focus on what really matters. My marriage, my parenting skills, my relationship with God. Time with loved ones. Getting outside and appreciating freedom, letting the sunshine in. Funny how that didn’t seem to matter before, and now so many get outside and appreciate it every single day.
The real threat in this situation is fear.
We need to realize that this pandemic is a serious threat to all of us. And I’m not talking about COVID-19, I’m talking about the fear that is gripping and overwhelming so many people right now. We are being assaulted by news, media, and social media. I got a notification on my browser yesterday that gave me advice to stop looking at the news because it really is that in-your-face, all the time. When you add fear to the fact that you are now stuck in your home, with no definite end in sight, it causes stress, tension, panic, and uneasiness. I’m sure everyone is feeling this way, and it’s not wrong to feel those emotions. But we can’t let them weigh us down or overpower us. We must remember who God is. Fear doesn’t belong where the presence of God is. In our normal day to day life, it’s so easy to feel like we have everything under our control. We get to make all of our own decisions and choices, and it can make us feel this false sense of power. Right now, we are faced with a hard reality that we can’t ignore: we aren’t in total control. The only one with that power and control is Jesus. We are all being confronted with the question, do you really trust Him?
“I leave the gift of peace with you — my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts — instead, be courageous.
— John 14:27 (TPT)
I may not be able to see what the coming weeks or months will look like as we walk through this new challenge in our world, but what I can see as a constant is that I am loved by my God, and that He is walking this step by step, day by day with me. I want to encourage you to be mindful of what you let your heart receive online, don’t trust everything for face value, don’t let fear and scare tactics rob you of the peace & joy that God has given you as a gift. Here’s a list of some things I am doing to get through these days.
Practical tips for each day:
Wake up just a couple of minutes early (maybe 20 max) and read a devotional.
Before you get out of bed, pray over the struggles you may be facing. For me, I’ve been casting out FEAR and asking the Lord’s presence to take its place.
Audibly tell God what you are thankful for today.
Listen to worship music, put it on while you clean/cook
Take a walk, sit outside, find something pretty to admire. I love the contrast of a really blue sky with bright green leaves. Lord, you’re such a wonderful artist!
Text a friend. Ask them how they are doing!
FaceTime a family member (or 2, or 3, or 10)
Talk to someone about the negative feelings/struggles you are having. Be honest and share those thoughts that may be weighing on you— expose the lies the enemy is whispering to you, and let someone speak God’s truth and life over you! I battle with these kinds of thoughts often, and would be too embarrassed to tell Rudy because I thought it was stupid that I was struggling with them. When I finally spoke up and shared them, I felt so much freer. It was nice to have someone who could help me navigate those anxious thoughts. They had less power over me because he could remind me what God says.
Don’t do nothing, but don’t try to do everything. Rudy and I are exact opposites in this sense - I always try to do everything, and then get mad at myself if I screw up (and then mad at everyone else who made me too busy to get it done). Rudy on the other hand, struggles with keeping a sense of responsibility and productivity. Times like this reminds him of the good ol’ days, eating taquitos in his basement playing video games all summer. Work on ways to find a good balance. Productivity makes you feel good, but rest is just as important to staying low-stress.
Process. In some way, sift through your thoughts and feelings. Journal, sit outside and think, do a Facebook live, whatever!
Do something fun. Find something enjoyable that you don’t normally get to do everyday. A puzzle, a board game, a video game, painting, writing, singing, baking. Take time to find a fun hobby, now’s the time to do it!
Remember that you are loved
This morning Rudy and I were praying before Avery woke up, and as we were praying, I was remembering some of the lies I was believing and struggling with. To be honest, one of those thoughts was comparison, how many others are getting to spend more time in prayer and Scripture, and I felt like I’m not doing “enough” because I’m putting every effort into my time with Avery. I felt like in that moment of prayer, it was like God was washing me clean. I pictured those lies on me, and it was like God had a big bucket of water that he was pouring over the top of me. As the water poured out, a flood of words replaced those lies: You are so loved by me. You are precious. You are cared for. You are in the arms of the Father. You are filled with perfect peace. You are surrounded by My Love.
Friend, remember that you are fully surrounded by God’s love. If you are like me, and you’re just making it one moment to the next, God sees you and He loves you.
You’re enough.