To those who feel defeated…

Maybe not today.

Maybe not tomorrow.

Maybe it’s not you at all.

But just maybe if you’re honest, you know someone who’s feeling a little down.

Maybe it’s you.

You feel defeated.

I see YOU.

I feel YOU.

I am YOU.

2020 and 2021 have brought along with it some tough days.  Many have been left feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted.  And for more reasons than just the pandemic.  

I’m just going to say it - Your mental health matters.  Don’t ever let anyone look down on you or make you feel less than because you are tired and worn out.

Y O U ... M A T T E R.

But how do we get up and keep trying when we feel spent?

We do just that.

We keep choosing to get up and keep trying.

I know it’s not easy.  It’s not easy to make the choice to keep showing up when everyone would understand if you backed out.  Or choosing to go back to school when you barely missed the mark the last time.  Or choosing to take that leap of faith when no one around you understands.

These days require encouragement from each other.  We need kindness.  Our world needs kindness.  

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of defeat, endless worry, anxiety.  Give yourself a hug.  Pat yourself on the back.  Give yourself a pep talk if you need it.  

Do not feel less of yourself because you face rough patches in life.  When you feel like your self-confidence is in the toilet.  When you wonder if all the craziness will ever end.  Understand we all go through days where we just don’t feel it.  

God still has a plan for your life, just like He does for me.  Even when we go through rough patches.  

We don’t speak enough about mental health and advocating for each other.  I believe we need more high-five’s for each other, just for getting up in the mornings.  I mean, sometimes that is hard.  Just for the simple things.  Just so we know we are in it together.  

I’m encouraged when I read through the Bible.  You’ll read about men and women who faced many struggles - some way worse than we may ever face in this day and time, yet they praised God.  Even if their life was on the line, they gave praise and glory to God.  It’s encouraging to me that even in my weakest moments, God is so much bigger.  And God has so much more of a better plan for me, than I will ever fully be able to comprehend.

The same is true for you, today.

If you’re feeling down or defeated today, know I’m giving you a high-five.  God has got this.  And because God has got this, you’ve got this.  One day at a time is all we can do.

Acts 20:22-24, The Message:

22-24 “But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.