Do not lose HOPE, my friends!
If you woke up this morning as I did, hoping for a brighter future, a world with more potential than yesterday... and found it incredibly difficult to even pull yourself out of bed, out from under the incredible weight of anxiety and fear that you have been carrying for quite some time...
You are not alone!
Even before putting my feet on the floor, I made the mistake of grabbing my phone to see how the world spun while I was asleep. (never a good idea, honestly... and yet I tend to do this more often than I'd like to admit)
A yet-to-be-determined Presidential election... which was predicted... will continue to play out before us in the coming days, and maybe even longer.
Which means that for some of us, the weight we have been carrying may get heavier as time moves on.
I'm not sure exactly what words may be helpful for you in this moment. If you tell me, I will be sure to use them.
However, for me... what is most helpful when struggling to see through the cloudy uncertainty of the future... what is most helpful when my gut is in knots and my mind is finding it more and more difficult to focus on the tasks before me... is a quick trip into the scriptures where I find reassurance and ultimately... hope.
This morning, words in Philippians 4 are speaking to my heart and I wish to share them with you that they may also be a balm for that which burdens you this day.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you."
I will be spending a good portion of this day in prayer... bringing before God the longing I embody for love and justice to triumph in this land.
I will be praying for you, dear friend... that the weight you carry may be lighter today than it was yesterday... and tomorrow even lighter.
I will be praying for those in our lives who are feeling this weight in ways I will never fully understand... our neighbors of color, those in the queer community... especially our trans siblings.
I will pray for those seeking asylum in the safety this land has the potential to provide.
I will pray for hearts that have been hardened to experience the love of Christ breaking in and softening them so that they too may express love and compassion once again.
I will pray for those whom we have elected to lead us in our communities... local, statewide and national... that they may have ears to hear the cries of the people and work toward a day when we can truly name that this is a country of liberty and justice for all.
And I will pray that we are all well-prepared for the work that is ahead... regardless of who comes out on top in the election... for we have a lot of work to do.
Be gentle with yourself this day and in the days to come.
Be gentle with those around you.
We are all hurting.
We are all grieving.
And we are all loved... beloved children of God, the God who will not leave our side especially now.
Have hope, my friends...
Have hope for a better tomorrow... with God by our side. And may our worries be less and our hearts be filled to overflowing with the love and peace we know to come from the God we worship.
And may we be prepared for the work that is ahead.
Have hope!
[Photo Credit: Ron Smith on Unsplash]
