Sometimes it doesn’t take much to throw us off our routines, does it? We’re happily trucking along in life, and then the slightest thing, if we’re not prepared, can really derail us. Sometimes though, significant things do happen, and there’s no amount of preparation that can get us through those curveballs and again, we might find ourselves completely out of sorts. Have you been derailed lately?
I think of my working friends. Devoting their lives to serving the poor, underprivileged, overlooked, young, needy, or abandoned. I see their cries for help “doesn’t anyone else see this need? why isn’t anyone else stepping in” and I can’t help but wonder if sometimes in their work they feel a little disillusioned.
I think of my friends who have been face to face with death, or those who wish on anything they could experience life. I see their broken, but strong hearts and wonder if they’ve ever felt derailed in their journeys.
I think of my new mama friends in the trenches with little kids. Overwhelmed, under-appreciated, and perhaps they may also feel like the wheels have fallen off a bit.
I think of my friends whose lives aren’t going how they planned, friends whose kids’ lives aren’t going how they planned, or friends whose parents’ lives aren’t going how they planned and I wonder if their wayward stories are sprinkled with derailment.
I see their broken, but strong hearts and wonder if they’ve ever felt derailed in their journeys.
I think of my own life. Though there are always beautiful gifts in the minute, my life certainly hasn’t gone how I planned. Not bad by any means, in fact, rich in many memories, but I’ve had a few bumps in the road too, and sometimes I’ve felt a little out of sorts myself.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Lowe’s Home Improvement Store tagline. Though, my husband doesn’t share my sentiment (most likely because as a General Contractor, he spends a third of his week there!), I love it. Their tag line is “Never stop improving,” which I have deemed as a personal life tagline and am sure will be another article at a later date. But I kept thinking about my friends who have found themselves a little derailed and thought that their improvement during those times isn’t even on the radar, in fact, dare I say, may not be possible.
The achiever in me struggled a bit with that until I remembered my own personal seasons of derailment, and realized improvement was something I couldn’t bear to bring – the only thing I had, was myself.
Perhaps the adage, “keep showing up” is a bit more appropriate for those times. “Never stop improving” is a good one for most situations in life, but sometimes the best we can all possibly bring to any situation, is ourselves, just as we are, with the little that we have.
The achiever in me struggled a bit with that until I remembered my own personal seasons of derailment, and realized improvement was something I couldn’t bear to bring – the only thing I had, was myself.
If that’s your case right this moment and you’re finding yourself a little derailed, disillusioned, or maybe even disappointed, hang in there a little bit longer okay, and just keep showing up.
Pray that God would continue to break your heart for what breaks His, see the Glory of His ministries to the forgotten and undervalued and keep showing up for them.
Pray that God would continue to remind you that His plan is greater, richer, and better than the plans you have for your own life, know He makes beauty from ashes, trust that He sees you right where you are in the pain of death, or struggle for life, and keep showing up.
Pray that God would continue to pick up where you leave off, gather all of the energy you can muster, and get yourself out of bed to show up for your kids and your family.
Pray that God would continue to use your relationships with the already broken, derailed, addicted, wayward ones in your life to draw them, and you, closer to Him and just keep showing up.
Friends, when life, death, and everything in between hits us square between the eyes, and seeks to derail us, may we rally and cry out together that we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are nothing compared to the coming good times, and the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye, you guys, and the things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Let’s never stop looking up, never stop giving up, and always keep showing up.
Alongside you,
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Image Credit: The Spider Hill, Creative Commons. Some changes made.
This is an adapted version originally published at Self Talk the Gospel.