Sometimes You Have to Swim Into the Seaweed
You know, I really have to admire a guy like Job. I mean here was a man who lost everything...EVERYTHING and still didn't blame it on the Lord and still maintained his strength of faith and rebuked those who told him to admonish the Lord. No, I'm not reading in Job right now, I'm in Numbers. So, why am I going down this path of thought? Well, here's the thing. Sometimes being an adult isn't all it is cracked up to be. In fact, there are days when it is the worst thing. Honestly to be able to go back to having someone else take care of everything would be super awesome. BUT....
That isn't the way of life. In fact, life is all about moving forward even in the face of adversity and Job-like moments. I've been MIA lately due to some things that have occurred in our life that have resulted in the Mr. and I having to buck up and become the responsible parties for someone elses' poor decisions and life skills. Let me tell you, I enjoy this about as much as I enjoy getting a a bone reset. It is painful and cumbesome and time dependent. However, despite the physical aspect of the thing we are taking care of, there is the emotional and spiritual aspect that has had me in the most turmoil.
Emotoinally I have been a wreck. This thing has felt like a weight I cannot get out from under. When I was about 8 or 9 we lived on a lake. I remember my brother and friends and some adults on one of those large square foam rafts - I think this one was blue. I had been playing too and we were all taking turns jumping off of it and climbing back on. This particular day the wind and waves were a little stronger than normal and once I had jumped off the raft drifted over top of me. Every time I tried to swim out from under it, it was still on top of me. What seemed like an eternity, may have only been 20 or 30 seconds but it was enough to freak me out. I thought I was going to drown. Then I prayed and it dawned on me that I would be safe if I swam toward the seaweed, so I did. Even though I had to swim into the slime and gook, I got to safety and promptly pulled myself up on the dock and walked to shore. (To this day I do not care much for swimming, lakes, bodies of water, anything.)
I shared that to say this - this thing we have to take care of - I feel like I am drowning. I feel like I can see the top of the water, I can see the fresh air I so desperately need, but I am trapped under the raft. Remembering the fear and the anxiety being trapped under the raft caused me, is the same fear and anxiety I feel now because of this thing. I know we are doing the right thing. I know we have done what the Lord would ask us to do, and I know through this procecess he is building character and teaching us something. Sadly, I am not dealing well with this. I want to yell and scream and fight. I want to FIGHT! I want to stand face-to-face with the cause of this and give it my two cents on how I feel completely violated by its complete lack of responsibility and care for others.
Instead, what I have done is yell and scream and fight with those who have no baring on this issue. Those, who like us, are a victim of the circumstance yet they have no clue they are. Because, as an adult, it is best to keep some things from those who are incapable of making a difference. So, there are these people, who I love, who have had to see the fear and anxiety from this "raft" that is weighing me down. Why? Because unlike Job who looked to the Lord always and maintained a lasting and loving relationship with not only himself and others through all it all - I have succumbed to the anger I have towards this thing. I have let it boil over and become the elephant in our home.
I can tell, even though I still read my Bible and do my devotionals, that this thing is prohibiting the work of the Lord in my life at this time. Instead of swimming towards him I am leaning on my own strength. I am letting the raft stay on top of me. I am preventing Him from leading me to safety and freah air. I know that this too shall pass. That we are taking the right steps to correct this wrong. In fact, we have a timeline for this and in the grand scheme of life it isn't even that long of a fix. One could say it is only like 20 or 30 seconds on the timeline of life. And God will protect us and keep us safe as we look to him while he sees us through.
I just need to trust Him.
That isn't the way of life. In fact, life is all about moving forward even in the face of adversity and Job-like moments. I've been MIA lately due to some things that have occurred in our life that have resulted in the Mr. and I having to buck up and become the responsible parties for someone elses' poor decisions and life skills. Let me tell you, I enjoy this about as much as I enjoy getting a a bone reset. It is painful and cumbesome and time dependent. However, despite the physical aspect of the thing we are taking care of, there is the emotional and spiritual aspect that has had me in the most turmoil.
Emotoinally I have been a wreck. This thing has felt like a weight I cannot get out from under. When I was about 8 or 9 we lived on a lake. I remember my brother and friends and some adults on one of those large square foam rafts - I think this one was blue. I had been playing too and we were all taking turns jumping off of it and climbing back on. This particular day the wind and waves were a little stronger than normal and once I had jumped off the raft drifted over top of me. Every time I tried to swim out from under it, it was still on top of me. What seemed like an eternity, may have only been 20 or 30 seconds but it was enough to freak me out. I thought I was going to drown. Then I prayed and it dawned on me that I would be safe if I swam toward the seaweed, so I did. Even though I had to swim into the slime and gook, I got to safety and promptly pulled myself up on the dock and walked to shore. (To this day I do not care much for swimming, lakes, bodies of water, anything.)
I shared that to say this - this thing we have to take care of - I feel like I am drowning. I feel like I can see the top of the water, I can see the fresh air I so desperately need, but I am trapped under the raft. Remembering the fear and the anxiety being trapped under the raft caused me, is the same fear and anxiety I feel now because of this thing. I know we are doing the right thing. I know we have done what the Lord would ask us to do, and I know through this procecess he is building character and teaching us something. Sadly, I am not dealing well with this. I want to yell and scream and fight. I want to FIGHT! I want to stand face-to-face with the cause of this and give it my two cents on how I feel completely violated by its complete lack of responsibility and care for others.
Instead, what I have done is yell and scream and fight with those who have no baring on this issue. Those, who like us, are a victim of the circumstance yet they have no clue they are. Because, as an adult, it is best to keep some things from those who are incapable of making a difference. So, there are these people, who I love, who have had to see the fear and anxiety from this "raft" that is weighing me down. Why? Because unlike Job who looked to the Lord always and maintained a lasting and loving relationship with not only himself and others through all it all - I have succumbed to the anger I have towards this thing. I have let it boil over and become the elephant in our home.
I can tell, even though I still read my Bible and do my devotionals, that this thing is prohibiting the work of the Lord in my life at this time. Instead of swimming towards him I am leaning on my own strength. I am letting the raft stay on top of me. I am preventing Him from leading me to safety and freah air. I know that this too shall pass. That we are taking the right steps to correct this wrong. In fact, we have a timeline for this and in the grand scheme of life it isn't even that long of a fix. One could say it is only like 20 or 30 seconds on the timeline of life. And God will protect us and keep us safe as we look to him while he sees us through.
I just need to trust Him.
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