Doing OK

     I've been remembering lately the terrible days in April when I was sick with Covid. It was not a pleasant experience. Somehow, the version of the bug that contains simply sniffles and a loss of taste and smell eluded me, and I was left stricken on the couch for about a week. I didn't have strength to comb my hair. I had to rest walking from the living room to the restroom. It was too much work to answer messages on my phone. And I struggled to eat a whole Ritz cracker. Things were far from normal.
    Finally I surrendered and visited a local doctor. The first thing he did was walk in the room and ask, "How are you today?" 
    "I'm doing OK," I answered.
    I know it was a foolish answer. He could see for himself that I wasn't doing OK. But it can be so hard to accept that one needs help. 
    Perhaps I come by it rightly. When my dad was in ICU a number of years ago, the doctor asked him the same question. My dad's answer? "Oh, I'm doing pretty good." 
    This might be a laughing matter in retrospect. It could be you are shaking your head at human nature. But what happens when you move the scenario to your spiritual battles?

    I've been there before, struggling on the valley floor, besieged by many foes, my heart so heavy I can hardly move. How do I tell folks around me I'm doing? I tell them I'm OK. I might say that things aren't always easy. I might say that we all have our struggles. But I don't tell them how I feel that I am sinking into a bottomless pit.

    It seems to me that the Devil has been attacking the children of God more savagely of late. So many among us are struggling with thought patterns that drag them into despair. Some live their lives in a circle of anxiety and fear. Some are dealing with a lack of hope. For some, it is the little everyday temptations that they must resist again and again.

    I recognize that it is not appropriate to spill all our inner turmoil out to every person that we meet, yet I am also inspired when I recognize the power that comes from sharing a struggle with even just one person. Maybe you don't feel strong enough to tell them the whole struggle, but just be willing to ask for prayers! 

    When we try to handle our sicknesses on our own, we are soon locked in hopelessness where things become darker and darker. We find that we are unable to help ourselves, but when asked what is wrong we try to defend ourselves with "You wouldn't understand," or "No one else struggles with this," or "You can't help me."

    If the Devil can keep us feeling alone in that darkness, he has a strong foothold in our lives. In humbly sharing our burdens and asking for prayers, we begin to find strength and victory. The doubting and fears that flourish so well in darkness cannot continue to grow when brought to the light. 

    Prayer is one of the Christian's mightiest weapons. Just as Esther shared the burden of her heart with her people and requested that they fast with her, so ought we to beg for the prayers of those around us as we struggle with powers of evil. I cannot count the times that my burden has lifted when I have become willing to let someone else know of the battle I am fighting.

    As the earth about us continues to decay, I believe that in order to stand against evil we must first kneel together to pray. It is a step of humility and vulnerability. It isn't easy to talk about the things we hold inside. Maybe you don't think people care about you. You are wrong. They do care, but you will have to trust them enough to let them in. It's not easy. It's scary. May we all have the strength to turn toward the light.

    As one of my favorite songs says, "please pray for me, and I'll pray for you." Wishing you God's strength for whatever battle you are fighting!