My 6-year-old: “Mom, want to play dinosaur battle with me?
Me: “Sure.”
And so we had a dinosaur battle this morning on our kitchen table before school.
Why am I sharing this?
Because there is a lot happening in my world, as I know it is in your world right now. This week I found out a loved one lost their father, I spoke with a dear friend whose loved one came in minutes of dying of an overdose, another friend is new to sobriety, another friend’s mom is battling cancer, and another shared of her recent miscarriage, a couple of friends are in the process of moving, we have family and friends who are being impacted by the hurricane, and of course the anniversary of 9/11…to name a few things on my heart.
Yes, this is a lot…
Yet I sit and play dinosaurs.
What I have recognized on this side of cancer is every day there are struggles, there is suffering, there is pain, and there is hurt. And truthfully, I am drawn to go close to the pain because I believe that is where we can be transformed into the best version of ourselves and live with greater purpose.
Yet I am unable to carry these on my shoulders as they are not broad, or strong, enough to carry this load.
I need to lay these down somewhere. But where?
Recently when I was feeling overwhelmed by life’s struggles, I asked God, “how was I so peaceful throughout cancer yet am not in that place today?”
The visual that came to me was of me sitting with God in my prayer chair in Boston.
With that visual I knew I needed to get below the surface of the waves of these struggles and go deeper with God.
I envisioned myself being on the top of choppy waters in an ocean trying to stay afloat. But then I purposefully went under the waves. There was a quiet, a calm, a surrender under the waves. This is where I lived last year. Not in the waves but in the calm, where God is.
I share this with you if you too have a lot coming your way. And please don’t ladder the struggles. I know I named some heavy ones above but I too am a stay at home Mom who is navigating life with my children, schedules, activities, work, etc.
So please, whatever is heavy on our heart, I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
No really.
Pause from what you are doing.
Take a deep breath...or two.
And remove yourself from the surface and the choppy waves of these struggles. Go deeper, grounding yourself where things are calm and quiet.
And pray (aka talk with God).
May we give God all that is on our hearts so we don’t have to carry the weight of load. May we ask for wisdom and strength so we may continue to show up and meet this day and walk beside others along their journey. Also, by laying these struggles down and giving them to God, may we trust God has these struggles in His hands so we may not feel weighted in this day and still experience joy, like having a dinosaur battle after breakfast with a loved one💕🙏💕
With love and hope,
Shawn
