For Every Out-of-Place, Hurting, Struggling Soul...
April 7, 2017
When you're the one stuck in a job you don't love, even though you know without a doubt what you want to be doing with your life...
When you're the single one, when it seems everyone around you is getting engaged and getting married...
When you're the one still in school, trying to balance classes with the rest of life while everyone else has diplomas and degrees already...
When you're the one without a baby, when new pregnancy and adoption announcements crop up on Facebook every day...
When you're the one with a hurting family or a broken relationship when everyone else is posting perfectly posed portraits of their seemingly dreamy lives on Instagram...
When you're the one in a city that doesn't feel like home, when all you want to do is pick up and go...
When you're the one battling a diagnosis or a diseases while everyone else seems healthy and pain-free...
When you're in a church pew feeling far from God and feeling like the only one doubting your faith...
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE FEEL OUT OF PLACE?
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE DON'T FEEL CONNECTED, CONTENT, CONFIDENT?
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE CHALLENGING OR ISOLATING?
I've been fed many lines about Jesus being my peace, and Christ alone being my cornerstone and my contentment. I believe that He is, yes. But I also know that can feel vague and abstract and, quite simply, unhelpful.
There have been times I admittedly have thought sure, Jesus is my everything, but I'd really like a solid boyfriend right about now... or yes, I know Jesus will provide for my needs, but, like, when?!
ANYONE FEEL ME?
If you're looking for answers, I hate to say it, but I don't have them. I don't really think I want them, either. Most of the time when I'm feeling overwhelmed or isolated or just frustrated with my circumstances, the best thing is knowing I'm not the only one. It doesn't necessarily solve anything or make my hard situations go away, but it makes my heart feel less heavy.
I think about the times I sat across the table from newly engaged friends, feeling the lack of that kind of love in my own life, and instead of them giving me another "you'll find this when you least expect it" kind of line, they acknowledged that sometimes it does just suck to be single.
I think about the time it felt like my family was falling apart, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling as I sat around the living room with a few good friends. They didn't offer advice or try to move the conversation along to a happier topic, they just passed the tissues and listened and sat with me in the middle of the mess.
I think about the time I wan't sue what was next, when I just felt like things were unsteady and uncertain, and I poured it all out to my roommate who just sat with me and said, "that's so hard."
No matter who you are, no matter what you're going through, no matter how horrible or how wonderful or how totally wild-- you are not alone.
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE FEEL OUT OF PLACE?
We find one safe space, and we share our hearts there. It might be one friend, a small group, a family member, a co-worker, a therapist, a doctor, or even just a quiet place where you can pray to God... we find a place that feels okay, and we start cracking open our hearts.
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE DON'T FEEL CONNECTED, CONTENT, CONFIDENT?
We go back to what is true. We read Scripture that reminds us of who we are and who God is. We preach to our own souls. We soak up the wisdom of others. We learn from those around us. We start small, and we celebrate progress. We know these things come little by little, and e give ourselves grace on the journey.
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE CHALLENGING OR ISOLATING?
We reach out. To someone, anyone. We refuse to let the darkness swallow us. We refuse to let evil win. We refuse to let depression and anxiety and hard things steal the last bit of our joy. We fight back however we know how. We keep going.
No matter which "one" you are...
you are not the only one.
keep going.