HOW TO GET THROUGH A TOUGH DAY

Today, I am struggling.  I am hurting.  I am sad.  And by no means, do I have it together.

It's just been one of those weeks - when it rains, it pours.  From the unfair, untimely, devastating death of a dear friend and woman that I greatly admired - to my typically faithful Honda Odyssey having multiple issues all of a sudden, all at the same time - to a perfect date night being spoiled at the very end because of a squabble on the way home (yes, we have those too!) - to a misunderstanding with a close friend that had to be worked through with tears and humility - to frantically tying up loose ends for my dad's 70'th birthday party in a short amount of time.  All of this, on top of the normal stress and strains of loving my family well AND leading a couple hundred church people through their own lives and mess and pain.  

I've cried more this week than I probably have all year.  I'm tired and emotionally spent.

I don't tell you this to plead for sympathy or elicit pity. I'm letting you in to my vulnerable state so that I can walk you through how I cope when life seemingly continues to throw lemons my way.  

​I could totally wait a couple of days or weeks, pull myself together and then give you the polished, book-worthy version of how to overcome trials - but I think it would be more powerful and meaningful to allow you to step in to my own mess - in realtime - and walk this journey alongside of me.

Will you join me?


​HOW I AM WORKING MY WAY THROUGH A TOUGH WEEK:
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This morning, as I sat in the parking lot of the church office, trying to suppress my tears to no avail,   the first thing I knew I HAD to do was escape.
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The Hiding Place

Anytime we face difficulty, there is a fine line between how we want to respond and how we need to respond.  In my "want to" scenario this morning, I would have escaped all responsibility, gone back to bed, hidden under the covers and attempted to sleep the bad day away.  I would be lying if I told you I didn't seriously consider this as an option this morning.  

It's funny though, how often what we want to do is actually a distorted or unhealthy version of what we actually need to do.  You see, escape is a God-designed, instinctive, defense mechanism for survival.  He made us this way, and fully intended escape not to only be a means of protection and survival, but one of peace and comfort.  God's intention however, was not that we would escape to isolation, (like I wanted to do this morning), or towards other temporary band-aids like alcohol, porn, overeating or binge shopping.   His intension and deep desire for us is that we would escape to Him.  

King David in the Bible got this.  He told God, "YOU are my hiding place; YOU will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." (Psalm 32:7) David was an imperfect human like you and I.  He struggled with sin.  He was betrayed by the people he loved most.  He endured the cold eye of hatred and jealousy from someone he only wanted to please and serve.  He was ripped away from his closest friend and ally.  He lost a child. He faced insurmountable, seemly impossible obstacles like giants, lions and bears (oh, my!)  And the list goes on.  But David knew that in the midst of it all, he had a Place to escape - a Place where he would be protected from all the physical and emotional arrows coming at him on all sides - a Place where he would be loved unconditionally - a Place where discouragement would be replaced with encouragement - and a Place where he would be strengthened and prepared for the next battle.  His Hiding Place - his place of escape - was in the Presence of God.  

I have been following Jesus faithfully now for 23 years and I can tell you wholeheartedly that the God's Presence is the ONLY form of escape that has factual, profound and lasting results.  I have tried both the "want to" form of escape and "need to" form of escape, and I am telling you hands down, 100%, tried and true - escaping to Him always works!  Always!

So what does this look like?  I know that sometimes the term "Presence of God" can sound so mystical and far off, but it really isn't.  For me, this morning - my Hiding Place happened to be my office, lights dimmed and door shut.  I turned on some worship music, not just to play in the background, but to meditate on...to really listen to it and allow it to seep in to my wounds.  Earlier in the week, after learning about my friend who had passed away, I created a Spotify playlist with songs inspired by scripture, that spoke directly to my broken heart.  I'm happy to share it with you - listen now while you're reading if you'd like!  I hope it helps to bring you to your Hiding Place as has for me this week.   
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My Hiding Place also looks like pulling out my Bible and digging and searching for a word that speaks to me and the current condition of my heart.  Once something catches my eye - I'll dial it down and ponder on it until it sinks deep enough to the place I am hurting.  Often, it's in these moments when I hear God whisper to my spirit something that hits the nail on the head.  

This past Monday morning, shortly after receiving the news of my friend's passing I came across this verse in my devotional reading:

"Be still and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10
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Let me tell you - I've read, quoted and taught this verse a thousand times.  But the moment I read it this time - I knew God was trying to get my attention and it was a perfect word at the perfect time.  It impacted me so much, that I have kept close to my heart all week.  It has carried me through every  

tough and challenging obstacle!  See, God's Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) - that is why sometimes scripture comes at you like Charlie Brown's teacher - like redundant words on a page - and other times, it jumps out at you as if you're reading it for the very first time.  As I mentioned before, God's Word has an answer for every question, pain and struggle that you will ever face - it is living and active - and will meet your needs whenever you ask, wherever you are, whatever your problem. This is so vital!  God speaks through His Word more than any other way - so if you need answers, comfort, peace, hope, etc - open up your bible!  It's in there - I promise!
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​My Hiding Place is also a place of complete openness and vulnerability before God.  It's the place where I can freely ugly-cry.  It's the place I can shake my fist at God and let Him know how angry I am.  My Hiding Place is where I can groan out of grief.  And sometimes (not very often for me though, lol) - it is a place where I just have no words and the only thing I know to cry out is "Jesus."   This week - my prayers have looked like:

• "Why God, why??!!!"
• "This isn't fair God!"
• "God comfort them."
• "Comfort me."
• "Come Holy Spirit - I need you."
• "Help me be a better wife."
• "Help him be a better husband!" (Kidding, not kidding, really kidding. ☺ )
• "Help me to be a better friend."
• "I'm a failure!" 
• "I'm so stupid sometimes!"
• "THIS SUCKS!"
• "I have no words...."  

In our Hiding Place, our prayers may be dirtied and muddy.  But it is in these moments when our sickly hearts are wide open, that God can do surgery like only He can.  So get real with Him in the Hiding Place - by doing so, you are saying - "Here's my mess God, now what are you gonna do about it??"  ...And he always has an answer - but that answer only comes in the Hiding Place.

Now your Hiding Place might look completely different from mine.  Joel's Hiding Place looks like getting in to a room by himself and blasting worship music so loud that the walls shake!  Your Hiding Place might look like a quiet path in the woods.  For some of you stay-at-home moms, your Hiding Place looks like a locked bathroom!  No matter what the setting looks like, your Hiding Place is anywhere you can tune in, adjust your frequencies until you can hear from God and let His Word heal your wounds. 
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It is also important to note that your Hiding Place...God's Presence - is an ESCAPE from hardship.  It doesn't cancel hardship.  You don't walk in to the Hiding Place, get healed and walk back out into an easy, pain-free life.  (If only!!)

Jesus made this promise,  I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

He is saying that we have peace [escape] in HIM.  The world is harsh, difficult and sometimes will leave us bloody and battered.  His promise to us isn't that we will live a trial and sorrow-free life;  His promise to us is that we have a Hiding Place to escape from the trials and sorrows.  And this Hiding Place is where we can take heart.  What does that mean, to "take heart"?   Essentially, it is a point that we come to in the Hiding Place where we are transformed from timidity and fear to confidence and courage.  We enter into the Hiding Place overcome by our hardship - but we leave knowing that Jesus has overcome the world!  And if He has overcome the world, He has certainly overcome our hardships!

In closing - let me ask you.  How is your soul?  Are you beaten down?  Struggling to keep your head above water?  Overwhelmed with the hardships of life?  

Me too.  

So why don't you join me - let's run to the Hiding Place and take heart.