“Everything is hard and Nothing is Enjoyable.” These were the words I confided in Josh with. I may or may not have repeated it about seven times with slight drama in my voice. Maybe crazy eyes were involved, but you’d have to confirm that with him.
There’s the raising of three human beings who don’t have a fully developed frontal cortex that causes some frustration. Then, there’s the Covid craziness—masks, no masks, vaccines, no vaccines, vaccine passports even being an option considered (!!??!!), and on and on with all of that. Add to these a landscape project taking longer than I hoped and a few other stressful/annoying/frustrating situations and life can just seem complicated.
“Everything is hard and Nothing is Enjoyable.” Say it with me seven times fast.
No, not really. That is not the inner dialogue anyone needs running through their minds 24/7. So what do we do with all the complicatedness????
I am in the middle of all of this with you, but I know the ONE who is over it all. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17 ). Even when it appears the world is falling apart or our lives are falling apart, God is holding it all together. Here are some things I am doing to help keep me sane and grounded in this upside down world….maybe they will be a help to you.
1) PRAY. I’ve heard anything causing your prayer life to strengthen is a good thing. And I have definitely been praying more, so I suppose that’s a silver lining to all the heaviness. I remember as a teenager not understanding the verse, “Pray continually.” Well, I totally get it now.
2) MOVE. I don’t think I would be sane without the physical exertion of workouts. They just help me release stress and gain confidence in knowing I am doing something for my body to keep it healthy. The benefits of physical exertion and strength training cannot be overstated! I wish I had always worked my body like this. But it’s never too late to start.
3) GET OUTSIDE. As a combination of the above two things, I walk my dog regularly. The sky, trees, birds chirping, green grass, pretty flowers, and wind or sun on my skin is so helpful in keeping my perspective right on life. It is easy to pray while I walk the neighborhood….so much to talk to God about and listen to Him about!! I also try to eat lunch outside as much as possible. Josh and I often take an evening stroll, too!
4) MEET A FRIEND. In about an hour one of my good friends will be arriving, and we will eat chicken salad croissants with fruit and chips and enjoy catching up. We will share some of our woes and also encourage each other on our journeys. I will feel lighter after time with her! I have two more appointments with friends on the calendar in September, and I am already looking forward to it. But even if I don’t feel like getting together with a friend, I try to push myself to do it anyway. Isolation is a scheme of the enemy.
5) CLEAN HOUSE. There is so much out of my control, but I can keep my little world in order when I clean my house. I am good at laundry. I can dust with the best of them. Sparkling bathrooms, while they don’t last long, give me a temporary smile. Light a candle afterwards and enjoy the made beds and clean floors with the humming of the dishwasher in the background. Be thankful for the small space God has given you to steward…and make it a place your kids and husband look forward to coming back to at the end of their day.
6) PLAY WORSHIP MUSIC IN YOUR HOUSE. Filling my home with praise music is so helpful to keep my mind on things above!
Six very simple things I am doing to keep moving forward when I would rather sit in a corner and cry over the mess the world seems to be. Here is a song called UNCOMPLICATED. When life seems complicated, maybe blare this one to help you get back to what is important.