Upside-Down

I'm stressed. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I'm tired. I'm way over my head and out of my depth. I'm a little scared, quite frankly. I have questions, so so so many questions. Why is this happening? When will this end? When will everything go back to normal? Will there ever be a "normal" again? I'm unqualified. I'm exhausted. I'm not smart enough. I don't have enough energy. I'm quick to anger. I'm impatient. I'm needy. I'm so so needy.

This is where I've been finding myself off and on for the entire year. Even before the "apocalypse" (I should stop calling it that...), I was overwhelmed and scared and exhausted and confused... and and and. My husband and I were facing some challenges in planning for our kids futures; what we wanted for them didn't line up with our financial situation. We were staring dreams in the face; what we were chasing after didn't line up with our availabilites. We were trying to build our life together; what we needed didn't fit inside our schedules. 

Then... the apocalypse. The shutdown. The virus. The pandemic. The together time. The cancelled busyness. The free schedules. The family dinners. The phone calls. The homeschooling. The praying together. The Bible reading together. The movies together. The late nights and giggles. The extra snuggles. The memories. The yardwork (we had TIME, y'all). The new friendships. The rekindled old friendships. The donut deliveries. The happy meal runs. The grocery shopping ALONE (can I get an amen?!). The weight lifted. 

The weight... lifted. 

How in the world did I get the point that in order for me to chill out, calm down, slow down, and wind down, the entire world had to collapse in on itself? The country had to shut down for me to slow down. 

Stop it. 

If this was not the world's largest wake-up call... It's even a little embarrassing to admit to this, but I know so many other people who needed the world to end for living to really begin.

It's not that everything has become peachy. We are still on a global scale house-arrest. Schools are shut down. People are without work. Businesses are closing. Families are in crisis. People are sick. People are scared. BUT GOD...

"So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God's perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose." Romans 8:28 (TPT)

God is using it all, babe. That baby on your hip that won't stop crying... he's using that for your good. That burnt dinner... for your good. That lost income... for your good. That annoying 9 year old boy... for your good. That broken down car when you really need it... for your good. And... this may hurt, but... that child or spouse or parent that is ill... for your good. 

If you give it to Him, He will turn it for good. And if it isn't good, He isn't finished.

This terrible virus that has shut down our world economy, over-taxed our healthcare systems around the world, provoked fear and panic in millions of people, and caused everything to come to a screeching halt... He is using this as a tool to lift our eyes to Him, to bring our families back together around the table, to cherish our friendships, to love our neighbors, to minister to the hurting and broken, to trust God for the increase when there just isn't enough, to partner with our church family for the Kingdom, to spend just a little more time snuggling or reading or singing together, to bring our finances under control, to read the Bible more, to learn something new, to focus on our children, to connect with our spouse, to grow in intimacy with Him. 

There is so much beauty to find in the world right now. In the middle of chaos and sickness, there is order and health being restored to families who have had their priorities upside-down for too long. Our eyes are being opened to what really matters, what we should make time for, what we should not worry about or fear, who we should love more deeply, and to be filled with gratitude for what we have and whom we are with. 

​Lord, give us eyes to see the beauty you are bringing into our lives right now, in this very moment. Show us how you have provided, how you have protected, how you have blessed us, how you have loved us so well this week. Give us eyes to see all the good you are producing in the bad, all the order from the chaos, all the beauty from the ashes, and all the peace from the frenzy. We embrace every good gift you bring and we give you everything we hold dear​. We adore you, Father. Amen.

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Written By: Lyndsay terry

Read more from Lyndsay @ www.lyndsayterry.com

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