FINDING HELP FOR TROUBLESOME TIMES

BIBLE PASSAGE:
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not
be weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
(Isaiah 40:31)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever reached a point when you feel overwhelmed
by all that is going on in your life? You may have imagined
to yourself,
    “If just one more thing happens, I’m going to explode!”

The demands for your time are so widespread that you feel you
have no time for yourself. Responsibilities are weighing heavily
on you and causing you to feel as if you have no strength left to
carry on. You are busy attending to the needs of others, but no
one is attending to your needs. In addition, nobody seems to care
or appreciate the time you are spending helping others.

The pressures of work may seem like a vise closing in on you with
unreasonable deadlines that must be met. You have a desire to do
the best you can, but you feel as if you have been transported to an
island that is sinking into the ocean with sharks all around, and
there are no boats available for escape.

At the same time, it seems like your co-workers are on a worry-free
island where deadlines are reasonable and may even include some
‘fluff’ to allow for any potential problems.

You try to explain to your manager the difficulties that you are
dealing with, but after your discussion, you either feel that you
have not adequately explained yourself, or your manager just
doesn’t fully understand the magnitude of your challenges.

If others could be reassigned to assist you, the pressure you are
feeling might be reduced, but you are not sure what you would
need them to do to help. In fact, you might feel that you would
have additional pressure because you would need to spend time
outlining and explaining the tasks for them to complete.

You may be consumed with thoughts like,
    “If I get help and still miss the deadline,
      I will appear to be even more incompetent”
At night, you toss and turn trying to figure a way out of this
mess you are in. And the lack of a good night’s sleep causes
your anxieties to increase even more.

You may have aging parents who require not only that you make
decisions for them, but that you also are available to attend to their
physical and emotional needs. This can be a time of emotional and
physical stress for you as you try to determine what is best for them,
and as you continually adjust your own schedule so you can be their
caretaker.

You hate to hear the phone ring because it could be another event
that requires you to drop what you are doing and make another
decision about their needs. Even though their burdens have become
your burdens, you still love them and want to help them in any way
you can. Adding to your emotional stress, as you watch their decline
in health, you wonder how much longer they will be with you.

You may have a wayward child who is making some very bad
decisions. You want to help them, but they refuse any advice
you offer and have become disrespectful. The potential for their
destruction can be agonizing and cause you to have a feeling of
helplessness that keeps you awake at night.

Whether it is true or not you begin to imagine and assume that
others may be thinking that you have poor parenting skills. But
the truth is, some parents could have the best parenting skills
imaginable and their children may still make bad choices. Why?
Because a parent cannot be with them 24/7, and there are many
bad influences that surround them every day.

Stress and helplessness can cause you to go into a silo because
you have little, or no desire, to be around others. Being alone
with your thoughts can cause you to imagine the thoughts and
opinions of others. You may think they are having discussions
about you and your failures, but they are not.

The truth is – your ‘true’ friends are not condescending of you and
your efforts as a parent. They don’t consider you as a bad parent;
instead, they are concerned and want to help and encourage you.
However, since you have chosen to isolate yourself from others, they
think that you feel you need to ‘have some space’, and because they
are your friends, they are giving you the space they think you want.

Overwhelming feelings of failure can cause a person to have periods
of depression, and it can cause them to become consumed with trying
to prove their worthiness in other areas. Why? Because they think it
will create a feeling of being accepted and it will help to improve their
own self-esteem.

You may be going through a time when others have been a huge
disappointment to you. For many years you felt you could trust
them, but suddenly that trust was destroyed by some action or
words which caused you to view them as a different person than
the one you imagined them to be.

It may have been a betrayal in a marriage, a business deal,
something within your family, or between you and a close
friend. Since your relationship with others originates from
your heart, disappointments hurt you much more than it
might hurt others when they have been betrayed.

A loss of trust in others can arouse any number of emotions,
including hurt, anger, revenge, sadness, or apathy toward
the individual. It can also cause someone to change their
own personality in a defensive effort to protect themselves
from being hurt in the future.

Of course, the risk of doing this can cause a person to lose
some of their most valuable qualities; qualities that others
respect and admire in them. It can also result in losing the
‘softness’ of one’s personality, which can have a negative
impact on their love and concern for others.

ACTION:
More than likely you have either had a feeling of overwhelming
pressure, or you will have one of these times in the future, or you
are going through it right now. This can happen to anyone, but it
seems to be more devastating to those who care deeply about others;
those who cherish relationships and want to do the right thing.

Whenever a selfish person experiences problems, it can seem
like they just ‘roll with the punches’ and do just enough to get
by, without allowing worry and concerns to consume them. But,
for those who care deeply, it can cause them to have a feeling of
loneliness which saps their strength little by little. and causes
them to have thoughts like,
    “Others don’t seem to sincerely care, so why should I?”

Whether we realize it or not, our own health can be suffering
due to the demands of others. When devastating events come
into our lives, where should we go for help?

We might have friends who are supportive and can give us love,
encouragement and honest opinions. We may seek professional
help from someone who has been trained in guiding and instructing
others in times of trouble. We might turn to the clergy for counseling
(some have been trained in specific areas).

We may be so desperate for relief that we overlook the One who
knows us best and can supply all our needs. Read and meditate
on these verses:
    To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you
    remain silent, I will be like those who go
    down to the pit.
    (Psalm 28:1)

    Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    who does not look to the proud, to those
    who turn aside to false gods.
    (Psalm 40:4)

    Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and
    the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.
    Nothing is too hard for you.
    (Jeremiah 32:17)

The scriptures clearly state that the Lord can renew our strength.
He can provide us with exactly what we need to cope with our
problems. He can give us the stamina we need to persevere and
be successful in working through our challenges.

He can instill in us a determination and strength to rise above any
problems. He can do these things because He made us, and He sees
in us what is hidden from the eyes of others, and maybe hidden from
our own eyes, as well.

The Lord knows what makes us happy, sad, worried, disappointed,
hurt, successful, determined, healthy, angry, fearful, etc. He knows
all about us and He is available to lift our spirits when we are down.

How do we know this to be true? We know because the Bible is
truth…and it tells us that He can provide for our needs and can
repair any damage caused by the things that happen in our lives.

God made you and me, and He alone knows how to guide your life
and mine. Without Him, we could make a complete wreck of our
lives. However, when He is in control, our ability to cope has been
increased and we have been given a new hope. It is an exhilarating
experience to live a new life with the Lord in control.

Does it mean there will be challenges? Yes, it does. When God changes
(sanctifies) us, it means we will have let Him remove some areas of our
lives that we have become comfortable with. Does it mean it will be easy?
No, it doesn’t. Changes of this magnitude are never easy, but God can
help us when we sincerely seek His help.

Are you going through a difficult time right now?
Make your first ‘cry out’ for help to the Lord.

Have you just finished enduring a difficult time?
Thank the Lord for being with you through it all.

If you are not currently in a difficult time, spend time
developing a closer relationship with the Lord. Why?
So you will know that He is with you, and He will give
you the love, strength and encouragement you need
when you are faced with the trials in your life.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, so often I forget to give You complete
control, and as a result, I fail in my own efforts. Help me
to develop a genuine trust in You and teach me how to
rely completely on You for my strength and needs. Others
may fall short in their attempts to help me, but I know You
will never fail. Thank you for how You have been there for
me in the past, for how I feel Your presence with me right
now, and how You will help me in my future times of need.
You are my Rock and nothing is too hard for You! Thank
You for knowing me, for loving me, and for forgiving me.
I love You Lord, and I want to live a life that is pleasing to
You and rewarding to me.”

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