“You are not failing! You are meeting the challenges as best you can and that is enough. Pause the push tow
ard productivity. Living with uncertainty, worry for loved ones, and financial anxiety takes real physical energy to experience. Because we often split our emotional and mental health from our physical experience, we don’t of-ten connect the toll of these thoughts and feelings on our physical stores of energy and attention. When we acknowledge this loss of energy, it can lead to more realistic expectations of ourselves and others. Lessen the guilt, and encourage intentional practices for renewal.”—Susan Foshey, Assistant Professor of Discipleship and Christian Formation, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.
One thing that is good for your immune system is getting enough sleep. Our life patterns have been disrupted by the threat of a new disease and practices intended to mitigate it. Worship and fellowship comfort us in times of difficulty, and they are the things we are asked to postpone or change . It feels like an odd new discipline. Some people had given up social media as a way to quiet the voice of anxiety and reconnect to real life. Those intentions have en turned upside down as church and public gatherings are canceled while leaders are promoting online versions of traditions. The first responder community is concerned about an anticipated increase in relapses among people who cannot attend their recovery meetings. They are seeking online alternatives as well.
The new year is a time of self-examination. Changes can reveal what we have not seen in ourselves. Let us agree to be as gracious with our-selves as God has been with us.
Let us reach out as we are able to support each other. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and forever.
—Pastor Kerry