Expect Love to get here soon

Dear God,

In Psalms, David says: "Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon." (Ps. 31:24, The Message)

I come before you as a person and on behalf of anyone with a heavy heart. Around the world there are people who need your courage. Who need your strength. People who feel like giving up. People who need you to get here soon.

We come to you tired and confused. With questions and requests. In need of forgiveness and grace. Fighting battles we find impossible to fully surrender to you. Through it all, help us to always, always come back to you. Give us peace when we can't put our minds at rest.

God, we also praise you for the times we can look back and see how you helped us be brave. How you gave us much-needed strength. How you gave us what we needed to keep going. And how you were there for us in the exact moment we needed you. Thank you for being patient, caring, full of love.

Guide our relationships and interactions, no matter how small, because at the end of the day, that is truly all we have.

We love you and thank you,

Amen

Disclaimer: I'm almost tempted not to post this, or edit it so it doesn't scream "over-religious." And if you feel that way, I completely understand. If you've ever had moments in life where you've felt God so vividly in your life and using you, that may help you understand. None of this is me. I'm just a person, as messed up as they come (and if you don't believe it, I'll happily supply you with evidence). What I've experienced this week didn't make me feel "above" anyone but opened my eyes to the beauty and importance of everyone around me. I'm blessed by you.

Additionally, if you aren't sure about God or a higher being, I encourage you to insert something that works for you. Perhaps "Love." I'm not here to convince you of God. I'm not always convinced myself. But insert whatever good you feel in this world that makes life worth living.

Living in Lincoln for the foreseeable future, I made the grown-up move of transferring my church membership. When I was asked to do prayer soon after, I felt like it was a perfect opportunity. There were things that I wanted to say, but I wasn't sure what. And so on Saturday morning, I worked on the above prayer for an hour.

In my friend Heather's book, I remembered there being many quotes and verses at the beginning of her chapters. Leafing through them, I instantly connected with the one I quoted above. It was so simple, so deep, so strong. It ended up being the structure for my prayer and said for me basically everything I felt.

That morning felt divine. I knew I had been given a perfect moment. What I didn't know was the week that lay ahead of me.

Sunday night I was stressed and worried about work. After talking to a friend and getting some good sleep, I felt calm and confident on Monday morning. And much to my surprise, the first day of the week was tremendous. Things were coming together, happening on time, being planned for the future. I felt confident and proud.

Things have continued to go well for me personally. It's been one of the (if not the) best weeks at work. Around me, I saw it wasn't the same for everyone. I saw other coworkers and friends worry, stress, heartache, exhaustion, frustration—all things that I strongly connected with in empathy or first-hand experience.

But I could feel God calling over and over through those four short sentences: "Be strong. Be courageous. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon." And over and over I thought those things for people and situations who needed them.

I don't know if anyone else has felt how I have. But I hope others saw in that verse things that I saw. And at the very least, I hope I was more able to help encourage or act positively in my interactions.

As I reflected on my prayer and more on the verse, I noticed other things about my week. I noticed that in several areas that I was able to take large steps forward. Steps that I had wanted to take for a long time. And not only did I take them, but I felt good about them. I felt free. I felt better. I didn't regret it. I didn't want to look back.

I hope this marks a permanent turning point in my life. I hope this isn't short-lived. By no means do I feel like I have it together. That a great multitude of questions have been answered. The funny thing is, I don't feel like any of my questions were answered. But I guess what I feel is an overwhelming amount of joy, hope, peace, love, and contentment. I feel like my soul has become aware of what things are truly important; I've been able to let things go that aren't.

I expect this feeling to pass. I expect things to get worse. I expect there to be a low after this high. But this is an important experience. A vital marker on my journey. I want to look back on this. To remember how I felt (even if reading it may make me want to throw up in my mouth a little).

I'm grateful. Incredibly thankful. In this moment, I sense so much love and beauty even in the most irritating people and situations. Life is a gift, ya'll. And I can't expect this to make you feel what I have. But I hope that somehow, at sometime in your journey when you need it, that you too experience it. That it's so powerful that you can't help but stay up late to write about.

You are unique. You matter. You are loved. Be strong. Be courageous. Don't give up. Expect Love to get here soon.