the long and tired list (waiting for the rejoicing)
The list and the stack is high today.
The list and the stack of need and sad truths and hard decisions.
Today alone I received three texts from three different friends in three wildly different phases of life with Gigantic Broken on their plates.
That’s three friends today.
The medical diagnosis.
The seemingly never-changing situation with internal brokenness of loved ones.
Severed relationships.
Court fiascos.
Job loss.
Health issues.
The weary of motherhood and holiday stress and week-by-week-getting-it-all-done.
Life is hard.
This is on repeat in our hearts even if we keep it from being on repeat on our lips.
I look around and my eyes see so much hard.
And that is just on the surface.
The small circle of people I know personally.
There’s a giant country out there and a huge universe and a billion trillion people who are worried about running out of money and running out of food and running out of hope.
It’s hard work being a mother. Being a daughter. Being a wife. Being a husband. Being an employee. Being a friend. Being a human.
It is why we must keep reminding one another ….
a weary world rejoices.
Because we are in the other part most days, it seems.
The part in the song lyrics before the weary world gets to the rejoicing.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
And I know it’s out of order for the idea of the song – but it seems we are sitting stuck in the long laying part of sin and error and waiting.
That’s what it feels like when I get these texts from people I care about. When I look at my own relationships severed and bruised, seemingly beyond repair.
I long for that thrill of hope.
The promise of a new and glorious morning.
The promise of rejoicing.
The promise of a holy night.
And on certain days, after certain conversations, that promise seems absolutely other worldly.
Incredibly out of reach.
But yet.
But God.
But hope.
12 Comments
Sara
Thank you, Lana. Good words from your pastor. And they apply to many relationships. Since we cannot control others’ choices, why do I allow them to control my emotions?!
laceykeigley
why do we?
maybe I should write THAT on my wall.
Toby
“…that mourns in lonely exile here…”
laceykeigley
yes.
lonely in exile. mourning.
i live there some days.
Lana
A word of wisdom from our pastor to those parents whose children are breaking your heart-It is okay to be happy in spite of the heartbreak and you do not need to feel guilty about it. This was so freeing for us in light of hard things we are going through with an adult daughter. When we have had opportunity to pass this along to other parents we can see the freeing effect on others, too.
laceykeigley
Thank you for sharing.
Nikkie
Love to you, friend.
laceykeigley
And to you as well.
Sara
Yes. We lie long, pining for that final Deliverance.
“Fall on your knees!”
The only answer for this weary world and me.
I looked up this song. The literal translation from French says:
“People, fall down!
Await your deliverance!”
We wait, grateful for the deliverance He brought long ago,
And awaiting with longing the great
Deliverance to come!
Hold hard with me to the promise that our “redemption draweth nigh!”
Bless Your Lacey, Father, and her hurting friends.
laceykeigley
Fall on your knees.
And I find myself waiting — waiting for deliverance. Again and again.
Kamsin
Web-hoping lead me here today. This is beautiful. December feels really hard in my world. But it won’t last forever. The rejoicing is coming.
laceykeigley
December can be really hard.
And I too am so grateful that the hard will not last forever.