Do not be discouraged

Hi there!

Can you believe we're more than halfway through July already?  I thought that being socially isolated at home would make the summer drag on.  It's been quite the opposite.  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some kind of normal again.  So much has happened this year, and most of it has been scary.  The most obvious scary happening this year has been COVID-19.  It has changed so much of our daily living. Like you, I wonder how long it will be in the forefront.  Every day, wherever I go, I wear a mask, and I sanitize my hands.  I'm not sure if my kids will be returning to traditional school, which they desperately need.

I suppose we're all feeling a little desperate.  Not only are we dealing with a pandemic, but we are also reeling from the current protesting and rioting.  There has been so much destruction of personal and public property, and many people have been injured, even killed, during this time. There is talk of defunding the police in several cities, and the election banter is overwhelming.  It feels like the world is falling apart.  Part of me feels mostly safe when I step outside my door at home, but there is also part of me that worries and feels fear.  What next?

At times like these, I have to turn my worries over to the one who can handle them.  I'm not always sure to what to pray for.  In fact, many days I just feel overwhelmed.  Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit of God helps us.  It says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."  That encourages me.  When we don't know what to pray, God knows our hearts and our worries.

Next time you are lost for words to pray because you feel discouraged, anxious, or overwhelmed, remember that God knows what you're feeling.  He knows what makes you anxious, and he knows what you need.  All you have to do is go to Him.