A Short Devotional on Stress and Struggle

My two-year-old granddaughter was very distressed. Tears, screaming, confusion, frustration, and dismay consumed her. Then her dad said, “Come here. I will help you.” At first she stayed in her distress and kept crying. He said it again, “Come here. Daddy will help you.” She dropped her determined state to stay in her distraught and climbed into her dad’s lap. Peace was restored. Her dad did indeed help her and those once “overwhelming troubles” melted away.

This got me thinking…

I thought about how often I choose to handle things on my own when I have a God who loves me and waits for me to invite Him into my troubles. Oh the “big things” beckon me to cry out to God because they feel so overwhelming and consuming that “remembering” to pray comes easy. But what about the “small things”? The burdens and struggles and troubles I carry that seem so doable on my own. Certainly, I don’t need to pray about those “little things” that burden me. Sometimes I “forget” to pray about those things. I got this.

So what? I felt shame when someone noticed that I made a mistake one more time.

So what? Another bill came in that I wasn’t sure where the money would come from.

So what? I heard NO for something I really wanted.

So what? The disappointing news felt overwhelming even though it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

So what? I felt left out and my feelings got hurt.

So what? The waiting while in the valley is going on for far too long and moving forward, moving on, seems illusive.

I can handle it. It’s just life, right?   

How often do we feel confusion, frustration, and dismay? We may even cry and scream. We persist in our own determination to work things out on our own and overcome whatever challenges arise—because we can handle this!

I am a strong person and will take this on like so many things in my past and I will overcome. All the while, God has His arms open and is waiting to help. We stay in our state of dismay and distraught rather than offer our struggle and trouble to our Heavenly Father who waits patiently to help us and carry us through.

We have a Heavenly Father waiting and willing to help. All we need to do is reach out to Him.   

We don’t need to handle things on our own. YOU don’t need to struggle through even the “small things” on your own. You have a God who is there to partner with you.

You are not alone.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30

God is saying, “I am here. I will help you. Turn to Me and I will guide you through whatever is on your heart, My child.”

God offers us rest for any and all of our troubles and burdens and struggles. We can go to God with our “big things” and our “small things.”

Don’t carry your burdens alone.

Climb into your Father’s lap.

Thank you for visiting LuSays. For more from Lucille Williams check out her books: From Me to We, The Intimacy You Crave, The Impossible Kid.  And Turtle Finds His Talent for ages 2-6.