Sitting Beside the Still Waters

We have been living with tremendous anxiety, tension, and burdens over the past six months. This past week compounded all of that: the difficulties of moving from an in-person to an on-line life, the burden of being both a work-from-home parent and a virtual classroom assistant, the trauma of a lifetime of racist indignities and experiencing it again on the national stage, and hearing the President’s and First Lady’s COVID-19 diagnoses and wondering what it means for the country and for oneself.

I don’t know about you, but I am bone weary. Sleep eludes me. And there is an underlying anxiety that I can’t seem to shake.

How are YOU doing?

These are difficult days. I have seen so much public displays of anger this week as I grocery shopped, got gas, or drove through a parking lot. The faces of people I look at via Zoom look drawn and tired. The uncertainty of a nation in crisis is weighing heavily.

I worry about how we will get through the coming weeks and months when so many are already feeling so stressed and stretched.

Recently, I have turned to meditating on the Psalms as a way to ground myself for each day’s challenges. I invite you, right now, to take a deep breath. Really breathe. Slowly, deeply (Jeff Rainwater has shared with conference staff that there really is something called zoom apnea. Apparently, we unconsciously hold our breath or breathe shallowly when we are engaging a screen).

Remember the beginning of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. God makes me lie down in green pastures; God leads me beside still waters; God restores my soul.” Close your eyes and allow God’s Holy Spirit to guide you to that place that has always been a restorative balm for your weary soul. Imagine going to that place, and God helping you lie down. Now breathe in deeply again. Feel the stillness. Allow God to restore and renew you.

As the weather cools and the days shorten, we will need these spiritual resting places that we can visit, reconnect with God, and let God’s Spirit fill and empower us.

Always remember: you are not alone. These are unusual days, and while each of us experiences it differently, we are still traveling together through it.

Be well. Stay safe. Wear a mask.