How am I supposed to homeschool four children and keep my job ?
We need each other ; we need to let people into our pain when it is too much to carry alone .
My son committed suicide . I don ’ t know how much longer I can hold on .
My marriage is falling apart , I don ’ t know what to do .
My children want nothing to do with Jesus anymore . I am brokenhearted .
I ’ m struggling with anxiety .
I feel so lonely .
Some of the issues were related to the health pandemic , but many were simply related to how hard life can be . Some women private messaged me as they were ashamed to admit they were struggling . Let ’ s be honest , sometimes when we ’ re overwhelmed , particularly as Christians , we ’ re tempted to retreat into ourselves . We don ’ t want anyone else to judge or shame us . Sometimes we don ’ t know how to reach out to others when we ’ re barely holding on by a thread .
So if you count yourself among those barely holding on , above all else , please know that you ’ re not alone . I know now , in a way I ’ ve never understood before , that when our hearts are broken , we need to be able to say it out loud .
“ Let ’ s be honest , sometimes when we ’ re overwhelmed , particularly as Christians , we ’ re tempted to retreat into ourselves .”
What I have found on my journey is that the antidote for despair is hope . When I ’ m barely hanging on , these three keys help me find my way back to hope :
• Make peace with your story and remember that you are not your past . What ’ s done is done , and as much as we ’ d like to control our circumstances , what we can most often control is the way we react to them . God is the God of the messerupper . Be real with him ; be vulnerable . Give God all of your broken pieces . God can and will do beautiful things with a broken life when you give him all the pieces .
• Replace shame with grace . Shame doesn ’ t belong to you ; Christ took it all on himself on the cross . “ Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy ; no shadow of shame will darken their faces .” Psalm 34:5 ( NLT )
If you ’ re feeling like you should be doing something differently , you shouldn ’ t feel this way , you should be able to handle it — those are some red flag statements for shame . Leave those thoughts and feelings at the cross and replace them with your Father ’ s grace .
• Let go of your past labels and lay your pain at the feet of Christ . Your history does not determine your destiny . We ’ ve all messed up , and that ’ s why Jesus came . Every man , woman , and child who realizes that they have messed up and have come
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