I saw a tweet one time that said, “I used to think adulthood was one crisis after another. I was wrong. It’s multiple crises, concurrently, all at once, all the time. Forever.” I would guess that this is a sentiment we could all relate to from time to time. It doesn’t even need to be one giant problem that is crushing you. Sometimes it feels like a death of a thousand cuts; a lot of small problems start stacking up until you’re feeling a little overwhelmed. Then a lot overwhelmed. And all your efforts make it seem like you’re just fighting the tide or running in a dream.
I wish there was an easy way for me to say, “Just do XYZ and you’ll never feel stress again.” There are other people who will try and tell you that, but they are usually trying to sell you something. As the old saying goes the only way out is through. Meaning that, try as we might, the issues that we face in our lives won’t go away by ignoring them. To live into the fullness of who we are called to be we are going to need to learn how to face the tough stuff.
Thankfully for Christians we have assurance that whatever we might need to face we don’t need to face it alone. Isaiah 41 reminds us that God is with us.
Isaiah 41:9-10
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The hardest part of the problems or crises we face is that it can feel like we are lost and alone. Like we must do everything solo. While you will need to face some hard things head on, God wants you to know that he is with you and supporting you in the midst of them.