Stepping Through the Darkness

There are times in our lives that moving forward is the last thing that we seem capable of doing. Whether due to emotional distress or physical illness, these dry spells can be almost unbearable. What are we to do then? Do we white knuckle it and keep pushing forward on our own strength? Well…sometimes a little bit of that is required, especially if you have others that are depending on you. But I’m here to suggest that you give yourself some grace too. If you have your schedule set up already, you should be aware of what is indispensable to get done and what is not. Go into ’emergency mode’, do the bare minimum. If you had a broken leg you wouldn’t be hard on yourself for not being able to climb a mountain. Well, there are all types of injuries…many not seen to the naked eye. Please go easy on your self. Allow God to come through and speak to your soul, this is your ‘desert’ time. See at as an opportunity to be with Him and to receive insights that wouldn’t be possible any other way.

Hosea 2: 14Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her

Be aware of you inner dialogue at this point. Please don’t beat yourself up for what you can’t accomplish. God will make up the difference in due time. Do not focus on anyone else, keep your eyes on Jesus and what He is having you do…or not do…maybe He’s just asking you to sit and keep watch with him a bit. He is tilling the soil and preparing you for more. Your turn for doing will come don’t jump ahead of the game.

When you are ready to step forward again, start small. Look at the routines that you have set up for yourselves, they should be so  cut and dry that you can put them into action anywhere. Quite a few years ago I had to be in the hospital with my then three year old son, for three weeks. It was such a dark and trying time for me, but it helped to work on my routine even then. It was bare bones of course… I’d get self care completed, tidied up our hospital room for my own satisfaction, had prayer time scheduled as best as i could, when he was able to I added in time in the play room..etc. When my world got thrown into a whirlwind and everything seemed so out of my control, it was good to have a routine that anchored me to the here and now. It helped me to focus on something else other than the issues of the moment.

But the most important thing is to not give up! Never give up! Reach out and get help if you need it, your friends love you and most would be honored to be able to help. That’s what the body of Christ is for. Satan wants us to feel alone, that’s his game…God’s plan is different…it’s always about love and unity. Trust Him…even in the darkness!

Last September I was blessed with attending a retreat at a monastery. It was an amazing time of stillness and the Lord showed me so much. One day I was walking around the grounds and I sensed Him asking me to close my eyes. This was a road that I had been walking since I had arrived there and it was pretty straight forward, and yet it felt very strange to try to do it with my eyes closed. I could only manage for a couple of seconds then I would open my eyes to check on my progress. I felt He kept insisting that He was walking with me…as if we were playing a child’s game together. And the span of time withe my eyes closed grew longer and longer, it got to the point where I could memorize parts of the road and kind of knew where I’d be by the time I opened my eyes, and could feel Him with me more and more. I was having fun by the end as I chuckled and thanked Him for playing with me. 😉 He then impressed on my heart…that there was something about our game that He wanted me to remember once I was back home. That there would be dark days ahead for sure…similar to walking with my eyes closed…but that He’d always be there by my side…that I could move forward based on memory. You can too! 😉