Are we connected?

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I know my posts have been scarce over the past several months. If you’ve read the few posts that have made it out of my brain and into the computer, you know that this has been a crazy season for me and my family. I swear I have had a half a dozen posts floating in my mind, but just haven’t had time to write them down.

My kids are on spring break, so we are currently outside enjoying the sunny warm weather… Oh wait. No. That’s what I had hoped we would be doing. Instead we are inside battling plague #485 of the school year: Pinkeye Gone Bad… Very, VERY BAD! So I thought I would steal a quick moment and de-clutter my brain a little.

Several weeks ago, a dear friend called me and asked, “Are we connected? I feel like God is bringing us together in this difficult time so we can battle this war together.” Or something to that effect anyway. ;)

My answer was, “Yes, I think we are connected.” 

The more I think about it, the more I realize that we are ALL connected. And we are all supposed to fight our battles together. 

In our times of woe and turmoil, we tend to be self-focused and throw pity parties for ourselves. And, if we are honest, we get kind of irritated that others aren’t taking pity on us. 

Since my conversation with my friend, I’ve been trying to use life’s chaotic moments to remind myself to pray for others that I know are suffering. For example…

I was awake on and off throughout the night last night because my poor son has a croupy cough from the pinkeye virus – that we are all suffering from. I could give you a 2o minute sermon on the nasty that is pinkeye. Just ask my poor Facebook friends. Let me just tell you this: If your kid has an eye irritation, get drops IMMEDIATELY. 

While lying in bed and feeling sorry for myself, God gently reminded me of the family at my son’s school that tragically lost their father last week. And of the many friends and relatives that are waging war with cancer. And of my mom who had to have her hip replaced and whose bones are like those of someone 20 years her senior. Sure, this virus stinks and it changed the plans we had for spring break, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. 

So I prayed. I prayed for each of those dear people. In the middle of the night. While my throat hurt and my son gasped for air.

Why?

Because we are all connected. 

Can you imagine what the world would look like if we took the time and deliberately stopped in the middle of our own crisis to pray for someone else’s crisis? 

When we hear a siren, whether it’s from a fire truck or an ambulance or a police car, my family stops where they are at and prays. We pray for protection and guidance for all involved. And we pray for God’s peace to surround each one of them.

Maybe our personal moments of angst should serve as sirens. Perhaps we should stop in our tracks and pray for whomever God brings to mind. Not only would we be praying for someone in need, but we would be taking our focus off of ourselves and redirecting it toward God. 

We can’t change what happens to us and what happens around us. But we CAN change our attitude and how we react to things.

A Big Win

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It’s amazing how talking about something can diffuse it. Don’t you think?

Since talking with my friend and sharing with you the other day, I seem to be moving in a much better direction. Life is far from perfect, but my reaction to it seems to be a bit better.

I told you that I would share as I go through this battle, so I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a big win…

Because of Lincoln’s birthday, my kids were off of school for the past 5 days. Since our Christmas break was high jacked by the flu, I wanted to make sure I really engaged with the kids each of those five days. And I did. We had at least one adventure each day including Chuck E Cheese’s, ice cream, breakfast at our favorite café, baking cookies and a long excursion at Scheels. I even said yes to playdough… 3 days in a row! It’s been glorious!

Over the course of those 5 days, subtle and not-so-subtle attacks came. And on a few occasions, I wanted to throw in the towel. But I didn’t. Instead, I’ve been crying out to Jesus and sending quick texts back and forth to my sweet friend. And I’ve been focusing on the I-got-it-dones rather than the I’ve-got-to-get-that-dones. Whatever. It’s my blog. I can make up words if I want to. ;)

Bottom line… I feel hopeful. And that’s a great thing to feel when you are battling against the one who is trying to steal it from you.

Are you feeling hopeful? Or has your hope been stolen from you?

Are you one of us?

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A friend of mine and I have been talking about how there seems to be a cloud of depression covering a lot of people we know… ourselves included. It’s not surprising considering the state of our world globally, nationally and locally. And personally, we have entered into the stage of life where death and looming death are prominent. Add to that, other difficult everyday situations and you’ve got a breeding ground for the blues. And guess who couldn’t be happier…

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

I mean really, is there a better way to win a spiritual battle than to make people question their sanity, to make them not be able to function and to make them question their worth? Oh. My. Goodness! GET BEHIND ME satan!

In our desperation, my friend and I decided to hold one another accountable in fighting against it. Here are some of the things we are going to attempt to do:

• Cry out to Jesus in prayer throughout the day. I’m not talking about anything fancy here, folks. I literally mean, “Jesus, help me please!” We have to redirect our thoughts to God if we want to truly conquer this. And the only One who can actually fight this battle for us is Jesus. 

• Stop making “To Do” lists and start making “I Got It Done” lists. We have to focus on the successes, NOT the failures.

• Focus on the day’s blessings rather than ruminating on what’s wrong in our lives and the world.

• Stop trying to fix anyone else. We have to focus on what God is trying to accomplish in us.

I’m sure there will be more, but that’s where I’m starting. And after a little bit of wrestling with God about it, I think I’m supposed to share those struggles and wins with you. So you can expect little posts about this battle I’m in. For example:

This morning, I got up, put on my makeup and fixed my hair. However, the thought of brushing my teeth was overwhelming. Gross, I know. Especially gross for someone who has some severe germ issues. Thankfully, I remembered my conversation with my friend yesterday. With that, I forged ahead and brushed my teeth. It sounds so ridiculous as I write this, but I literally had to convince myself to brush my teeth. Considering the spiritual battle we are fighting, it makes perfect sense. I mean, can you imagine how I would have beaten myself up all day if I hadn’t done it? I can.

Are you one of us? Are you fighting a cloud of depression? Do you want to join us in tackling the root of the problem? I hope you’ll join us as we battle “the spiritual forces of evil” and delight in our identity in Christ.