“We will always be ‘in the midst’.”
This thought has been stuck in my mind. Just a simple verbalization of a base idea
or concept yet it’s causing good depth of thought, quite a few realizations.
I had written ‘in the midst’ considering all 2020 had
brought. During the past year I have
come face to face with ‘in the midst’ of the devastation, loss, isolation, long
term health diagnosis, stress, anxiety, hopelessness, futility, frustration, anger
and injustice. I isolated because I didn’t
want to risk contributing to pandemic by exposing others (front line SLP in SNF
providing therapy for a caseload that included Covid and post-Covid). In isolation I experienced times of being overwhelmed
with emotion after being witness to patient isolation and desperation. I experienced being the only hand they’d held
in weeks; was the only voice singing happy birthday or a carol, held the phone
for them so they could hear the voice of a loved one from whom they’ve been separated
for months; and dabbed their tears away as I silently prayed for this child of
God. Physically I have experienced the exhaustion
of longer days; donning and doffing over every threshold; covering caseloads in
multiple buildings and having to decontaminate and totally change clothing
between buildings; testing weekly to try and screen all the while knowing I had
loved ones that I could possibly infect if not vigilant. Once through the day, emotional tolls hit the
family as well -I often do not anything left physically or emotionally to
interact, participate, or even feel.
As I kept considering living ‘in the midst’, I realized I’ve
been in a place of ‘in the midst’ of life’s shadows quite often. While most people get to middle age and start
looking forward to a different easier pace of life, I decided to take a few
educational classes which unexpectedly led to finding myself ‘in the midst’ of
major life change which included working toward and earning a Master’s in one
of the most competitive intensive coursework programs to obtain a degree. The last time I had been in college we were
still using notebooks, paper, typewriters … there was a crazy learning curve
just to function within the program. And
‘in the midst’ of this period of time I was diagnosed with chronic health
issues (ultimately contributing to a 5 hour surgery several years later and
continues to be challenging). ‘In the
midst’ of struggling my mom passed away.
Funny how even as a middle-aged adult your mother is an integral part of
life. She was my encourager, friend, sounding
board, prayer warrior, mentor – I miss her prayers – I miss the sound of her
voice. ‘In the midst’ of this all I was
learning that the most unexpected, unprepared and oddly difficult part of a
parent’s journey is the transition of parenting once your children reach young
adulthood. And personally, our lives
will forever be lived ‘in the midst’ of having experienced the loss of our
daughter – an occurrence that is now such a foundational part of who we are as
individuals and a family and how we live our lives. Bittersweet.
I know each of you have lived ‘in the midst’ of the shadow
of life events – maybe you are standing in that shadow right now… broken
relationship, financial strife, health challenge, loss of a loved one, family
concerns, crisis of faith, change, uncertainty.
All my musing and thought comes down to the conclusion that this
journey of life is lived completely ‘in the midst’ – ‘in the midst’.
Personal realization – I’ve been living ‘in the midst’ of
life’s challenges, losses, events, changes and uncertainties yet finding
moments and times to seek and experience calm, peace, laughter, joy and hope.
Personal paradigm shift – What if… what if my life is lived continually
or for the most part ‘in the midst’ of PEACE? lived continually ‘in the midst’
of HOPE? lived continually ‘in the midst’ of JOY? - not overshadowed by all the other chaos…
Challenge accepted and paradigm shifted! How is this possible? It isn’t if I’m trying to do it on my
own. It is if I realize I CAN because of
GRACE ‘in the midst”.
It is my prayer for you to know GRACE ‘in the midst’ that
will allow you to live life ‘in the midst’ of JOY, PEACE and HOPE.
Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.
Romans 15:13 - “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy
and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power
of the Holy Spirit.”
John 14:27 “Peace
I leave with you; My peace I give you. I
do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Nehemiah 8:10 “This is a sacred day before our LORD. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the JOY of the
LORD is your strength!”
