Whiplash

So how has your week gone? Have you gotten to the end of a day and wondered if you actually accomplished anything? Have you gotten to the end of another day and felt like an Avenger superhero? Maybe a little of both this week?

Welcome to normal!

I was talking with a friend earlier this week and we were marveling at the whiplash effect of recent weeks. Major confusion one day and a world conqueror mindset the next. She told me of a recent study where more and more people are experiencing this whiplash and it is actually attributed to pandemic trauma. As members of the human race, we have experienced a tremendous variety of loss and our brains are quite literally having a hard time grasping it all in conjunction with “typical” life losses. The combo has thrown our minds into a tizzy!

OK, so I’m normal. Now how do I deal with it?

Well, I’m certainly no expert, but we are better when we learn from one another. So let me share what’s been shared with me lately.

• Pause.
  This could be a walk around the block, a nap, or a Netflix binge day. Listen to your body and give it a break when its needed.
• Acknowledge.
  Like it or not, we are still recovering from a whole lot of abnormal! Trying to run through it – or past it – is not effective. So call it what it is and make peace with it.
• Grace.
  LAVISHLY give grace to yourself and others. Sue it can be difficult to give grace to others when we are at our own wit’s end. But grace is a lot like a hug – the more you give – the more you get.
• Pray.
  You are not in this alone. The Father is not surprised or disappointed that you are human! He welcomes us with open arms and has all that we need to be equipped each day.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:29

Maybe this is a season of strength of you! Perhaps you have turned a corner and can clearly see the Lord’s hand at work on your behalf. Or you might be one who is struggling to make sense of all that’s been entrusted to you. Either way, it is OK. Either way, this can be a new place of surrender and dependance on our loving Father. I’ll be the first one to raise my hand and say that I prefer the superhero feeling over dependance. But we are not created to storm through life on our own and in our own strength. And when we recognize that depending on our Father’s strength is what actually makes us strong, we will see more clearly and walk more confidently. 

Our Father loves you! He is delighted to welcome you into His presence, regardless of how you are feeling about yourself and your situation. He sees His beloved child and can’t help but smile. Oh, yes, my friends…

You are adored.