How Are You Doing, Friend?
How are you doing?
Are you hangin’ in there, friend? I get waves of nervousness that wash over me; a sudden panic I’ll run out of laundry soap, toilet paper or cough drops.
Seriously. Is it too much caffeine, and a bit less sleep than I should be clocking? Or, is the steroid, now all finished, exacting a last hurrah?
No. Wait, I know . . . and maybe you do too dear reader.
Death . . . disorder . . . dismay . . . the first request came to pray for a family who is quarantined from a member dying of COVID-19.
This really isn’t going away . . . It isn’t that I didn’t believe the seriousness of a pandemic . . . I thought maybe they were kidding about what it would take to die out.
Worshipping this morning helped – being reminded to sing, be part of an ancient and modern chorus of voices praising God . . . even if His plans include unimaginable experiences. (Anxiety and the Coronavirus )
Then I heard that the exhortation Be Still has a meaning I did not know – be still translates lay down your weapons. (A Very Present Power)
I don’t like to think of myself as armed against God . . . but nervousness, little bouts of panic or even a full-blown meltdown can have the effect of suiting me up in defensiveness against the one Friend who means good and not ill. (Isaiah 40:27)
Busyness can morph into a weapon too, shielding me from meditation which I learned today is another word for singing:
God strengthens us through the singing of psalms and spiritual songs.
Be still and sing . . . Jesus Loves Me is starting point; especially if you have forgotten a few words.
When was the last time you sang that?
The healing, helping power of music: I know this – I knew this: music — psalms and songs has been a great tonic in my own troubled times. But, as a work under construction, I forget. It was good to be reminded:
Look at the World, and rejoice . . . SING!
And paint!
Paint, Paint, Paint: Obsessive-compulsion in a silver saint.
The Lord Bless You and Keep You, dear friends. Click those links! I hope these music links calm you and encourage your heart as they do mine.
HOPE
Your paintings spark joy – thank you for sharing them!!
My compulsion is sewing. I finished my new grandson’s baby quilt last week and will get it mailed out today-woo woo! He did not get his blanket at birth because that was my pre-retirement era and I never had sewing energy after work. Now he is 9 months old, but still a baby.
Now I am obsessed with sewing 100% cotton shopping bags that are the same shape as the plastic throw away ones, but are much bigger and stronger so one cotton bag holds what 4 plastic ones would. They roll up into a pocket so can be thrown in a purse. They have the advantage of being machine washable so can be thrown in the laundry after each shopping adventure in this new place of germ consciousness. I can not explain why I love them so much, except that I hate plastic.
It looks like this week is a wet one, wrecking outdoor walking plans. Thankfully my yoga place has gone online, using Zoom.
Stay safe, lovely friend, and keep painting!
What a great OBSESSION! Maybe we should watch Singing’ in the Rain and develop a silver saints’ dance routine?!
xooxoxxoxoxo
Good morning, Barbara. Just wanted you know that your post today was a balm for my soul. I listened to the beautiful worshipful, reverent music you linked us to and am so thankful you included that. I confess to having to deal with a foreign presence in my life, that of anxiety, which is present many mornings as soon as I awake. Worry has not been the way I face life prior to this virus scare; as we age, we really do see how fragile life is, don’t we? And I have absolutely no fear of death, only of being the first in our beautiful 52 years of marriage. We are well now. But Cari-Jean and her family are with us temporarily while they remodel a kitchen; right now they’re in AZ seeing Ian’s family, so they’ll bring back with them a plane-load of germs. This is disconcerting, to say the least. I rest in the sovereign plan of God for our lives, in His love for His redeemed children, and in His power to heal when He chooses. Alistair Begg’s church service Sunday was SO GOOD, underscoring that He hears our cries and brings comfort to our souls. Bless you, dear friend. Thankful God is using your gifts of words, humor, compassion, and Biblical depth to bless so many of us. PS — I’d like to share your blog; could you please correct the mispelling of the word “mediation” to “mediation”, which is what I know you meant. Thx.
Thank you — said the queen of typos!