It’s been a rough couple of days in our home.
My daughter is the middle of her third Covid quarantine from exposure and it’s wearing on her emotionally. Three times exposed and she still hasn’t gotten it…not yet anyway.
My girl has a rock-solid immune system, I’m not worried about her getting sick. It’s her insides that I’m concerned about. At this stage of life, it’s torture for her to be away from her friends. How to help her find the strength to endure these disappointing times? It’s my full-time job at the moment.
Our world right now, the past two years of Covid—it can all feel like too much. Too much for me, and definitely too much for my fourteen-year-old sweet girl.
We sat with her.
Tears gushing down her cheeks.
Making a plan.
Grieving the missed opportunities and trying to give her the space to be bummed—even angry.
It’s okay to be angry sometimes.
Before sitting down to stroke the keys on my laptop this morning, I grabbed a hardback book off the shelf. The perfect solid surface for the hot cup of tea balanced on my upholstered ottoman. Judah Smith’s How’s Your Soul? is what landed next to me.
It was a birthday gift from my husband a few years back. I remember learning a lot about the health of my soul—the inside of me. The part that sometimes gets ignored. A few minutes flipping through the pages and wah-la it all came back.
How do we find the strength to endure?
That’s a good question. The answer lies in taking a good hard look at your soul—the inside of you.
The front jacket of Judah’s book offers…”help to find our way through the emotional roller coasters of life to discover the soul-healing essentials of rest, responsibility, restraint, and relationships, all rooted in what he calls the soul’s only true home—God himself.”
Very interesting. Rest, responsibility, restraint, and relationships…rooted in God himself. I’ll stopped there because this post is not about Judah Smith’s book. You can read it on your own time.
This post is about finding the strength to endure. Whether it’s another Covid quarantine or something much more serious. A broken heart maybe, or a broken marriage or a broken body.
How do the four “R” words come into play? Let’s think about that for a minute.
Rest
A break from normal routines is key. Time to process and pray can soothe a disappointed spirit. Your little hiatus might be just what you need to bring some balance and perspective into your situation. Give yourself permission to rest, you won’t be sorry.
Take Responsibility
No matter what your situation involves it’s best to acknowledge your piece in the puzzle. Playing the victim card isn’t usually helpful unless you truly are a victim. Instead: be humble, take responsibility, and be part of the solution.
Show Restraint
While we all get angry at times, blowing up doesn’t solve a thing. Regret is harder to swallow than biting your tongue. Take a deep breath, ask God for self-control, and do your best to show restraint. Your soul will be so glad you did.
Value Relationships
Relationship with God and relationship with others is what truly matters. Take the necessary time and energy to invest in your most precious possessions—your relationships. Hold them in the highest place and all the minor issues just might disappear.
Are you in the midst of troubling or disappointing times like my daughter is? Upset about what you are going through? Or what’s happening in our world?
As quoted in chapter 47 of A Prairie Devotional, Reverend Alden gives us wisdom worth holding on to.
“God does not protect all good people from misfortune, but what He does provide is the strength to see His people through the hard times.”
Reverend Alden
God is with you.
In whatever you are facing.
No matter how big or small.
He’s with you.
Giving you the strength to endure.
What is it that you’re going through? As always, I’d love to hear your stories and how this post lands in your heart. Please share with me.
Much Love,
Wendi
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