As I reflected on last week’s post, past conversations from those who recently worked through loss came to mind. Many of them found that the biggest challenge was working through what can best be described as an “emotional fog”. This fog can make it difficult to take care of ourselves, maintain meaningful relationships, complete daily chores/tasks or it can lead us to doubt God and His promises for us.
Being caught in the fog isn’t limited to those who deal with loss. It can also affect those trapped in addiction (alcohol/narcotics/porn), a husband or wife battling for their marriage, parents whose children have disowned them, anyone who is bullied, those who struggle with mental health or those wrestling with depression/anxiety from COVID-19 restrictions. Anyone struggling with something can find themselves in a similar fog.
If you currently find yourself caught in a “fog” I’d like you to pause and take a deep breath, maybe take a second and third deep breath so that you can hear what I want to say to you…
You are LOVED and YOU ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE.
Your next step is to call a friend or reach out to us at SouthRidge. Share your thoughts, feelings and struggles. Someone who loves you is one call, email or chat away from walking through the fog with you. We have people in our church, and you probably have others in your life, who want to be the physical outpouring of God’s unwavering love to you during this time.
For everyone else this is an opportunity for you to reach out to a friend, family member or anyone else and ask “What can I do to help you today?”
Last week we “lit” a candle in the North East corner of our building. This is designed as a quiet spot for you to spend time in the presence of God. A place you can open up and pour your heart out to Him. This is available to you 24/7 until Christmas Eve (the gate is open).
We added a couple of lights beside the candle that represent God and others who are here to walk the journey with you through the “fog” you may be experiencing.
My prayer this week – Father, we ask for your peace from heaven to descend on those who are hurting and caught in a fog. We ask that those experiencing any hurt because of loss will experience the peace that can only come from you. We also ask for encouragement; for those struggling with loss, that they would reach out to others and for those who know someone who is hurting, that we would reach out to them and be willing to stand in the gap with them.
Dennis Wasyliw