The late nights are usually the only time that I have to take that deep breath. I can’t believe I’m about to use an exercise analogy; but have you ever been working out, and had a hard time catching your breath and all of a sudden you center yourself, focus on your breathing and your able to catch it? You know, that breath that expands your lungs, and gives you the oxygen you need to push on? In this season of my life, these late nights where I’m sitting alone in the corner of my living room, all I can hear is the hum of the dishwasher and the keys beneath my hands, this is that deep cleansing breath for me.
My days are full. I wake up to the bustle of 3 kids moving upon their childhood fiercely. Growing, learning and most of all needing so much of us. We move from one thing to the next; packing for school to cleaning the house, to reading books and hugging tears away. We fix lunch plates and clean dinner plates, we round up kids into the van and drive miles to football games and practices, open houses and friend’s birthday parties. The bustle of this season often leaves me searching for that cleansing breath.
I often talk to God and remind myself that He so intentionally created the ‘bustle’ and we are to not only lean into it but learn from it.
I recently have found myself in so many different conversations with loved ones, family members and good friends about how HARD life is. I know we’re all feeling it. I’ve pondered over it, alot. In between the scrolling through Instagram and the bustle of my daily life, I’ve stopped in those little moments between and pondered why that is.
Maybe that's the lesson in it all, that we shouldnt be surprised by the difficulty we’re feeling so intensely. We should not only expect it but maybe should I be so bold to say, welcome it? Searching through my Bible for answers, as I’ve found is truly the only way to understand the complexities of life; I stumble upon 1 Peter 5: 6-10
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
The supernaturalness of the words of the Bible never ceases to amaze me. God called it. We are tired, spent, wondering WHY this is so hard. He reminds us to be alert, because the ways of the world will just make it harder. Then He gives us comfort by reminding us we aren't subject to all this difficulty alone, we are all in this together. We are in all walks of life, feeling the stress. But He doesn't end it there, recognizing how hard it all is, He delivers HOPE. Isn't that what we are all aching for? The hope of relief, the hope for that deep cleansing breath? He finishes out by saying to us, if we choose to walk with Him and search for Him we will suffer for a while but He will restore us and make us strong and steadfast.
I don’t know about you but the hope that brings to my tired soul is life-giving. I know so many of us have such a hard time and we ask some of life’s biggest questions. And unfortunately in this world, it is getting harder and harder to hear the truths of the Bible. We have to read it for ourselves. We have to be alert, be intentional and we have to follow Him. It’s the only way. He is the only one who can truly give us that life-giving, soul quenching, deep cleansing breath we are all so desperately searching for.
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