Now that my boys are older I have a little more freedom to go away for a weekend with my husband or girlfriends once in awhile. When they were little I wanted to go away for lots of weekends and never return because my job as a stay at home mom was a 24 hour, 7 days a week shift. We lived more than a thousand miles from the nearest doting grandparent. My ‘breaks’ looked like trips to the grocery store alone in the evening once in awhile or attending a class at church that provided childcare for a couple of hours.
My family depended on me for everything even when my everything was tapped out.
One of the challenges about living far away from family was not having a support system in place. When emergencies arose, my husband and I solely depended upon one another to carry the weight of that emergency. It wasn’t healthy. I knew I had to allow other people aka ‘strangers’ into our lives if we were going to stay sane. My mom prayed that the Lord would send me a friend and he did. Slowly we began to build relationships with other couples with young children. I dragged my exhausted body to church whenever the doors were open because I was determined that those Bible study women were going to get to know me whether they wanted to or not, not because I needed anything from them. I needed someone to know me.
We were never meant to do life on our own. We’re wired for community whether we enjoy the community or not. Isolation is a trap.
We may think that containing our crazy within the confines of our cute little family is responsible or even commendable, but deep down we know that our Scarlett O’Hara “Oh how I’ve suffa’d for you” martyrdom is nauseating. Being the only dependable person we know is physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting.
The only way we’re going to survive those who depend on us is by being completely dependent upon the One who never tires or grows weary. For some of us it means reaching out instead of constantly looking in. You and I cannot do all that we’re called to do by ourselves. We need each other.
Lord, you are the everlasting God, the Creator of all we can see or imagine. You don’t get tired or need to stop to catch your breath. But we do. You know how very much we do. Nothing is hidden or surprises you about our inside and out. Thank you for energizing those of us who are tired and want to quit today. We wait upon You for fresh strength today, not to do it all on our own, but to soar with you like eagles. We depend upon You to renew us to run wholeheartedly after the abundant life you have for us each and every day. Bring refreshing friendship to those desert places Lord. Open our eyes to see those who need someone to know them today. I ask and believe in the mighty name of Jesus.