There is a tiredness in the air. It isn’t noticeable to all, but those who feel it can also see it.
The sun appears to offer light but little warmth. And yet, we know the warmth is there; it is society that has been frozen by the icy hands of malice and mistruths.
We are just now seeing the beginning of the thaw.
We are witnessing what had been left unattended now coming to the surface: many broken, wounded, lost, and vulnerable people of all ages.
As we assess the damage caused by society’s neglect of God, others, and our spirit, we will be called upon as Believers to offer hope through our conduct fortified with courage, kindness, empathy, and faith.
Friend, we have witnessed an upside-down society attempting to warm its hands near colors that they have convinced ourselves should offer warm but are mere paint layered upon a cold slab.
Growing pains will occur as people reach beyond their comfort for something more authentic and healthier in mind, body, heart, and spirit.
We must come alongside others with healthy boundaries. We must be speakers of truth in love, receiving those emerging from being lost, lied to, and rife with angst.
We have all been lost, and all would have remained so without the blood of Christ Jesus. Even with His saving grace, we still struggle to keep our footing and faith in God’s will. As such, may our humility keep us gracious and able to extend our hearts and hands to help one another rather than speak poorly of one another.
I have yet to meet one person, including myself, whose fullness of life has been diminished by Christ’s love.
We are all in need.
God’s love for us all increases our value beyond the measure anyone may use to evaluate us.
The human spirit has been in a drought for years. We are just now seeing how wide and deep some of the cracks in society’s foundation have spread.
We may never know the full extent.
Some will seek rest, refuge, and rekindling. Paths will vary in fortitude and virtue — some will cope through social media and other addictions; some will agitate their anxieties or amplify their realm of depression. Others will do their best to recover with patience, purpose, and passion.
Works of love are messy.
You may also encounter those struggling with a loss of identity, identifying with whatever grabs ahold of them in their spiral of confusion and doubt.
Some will fear failure; others will fear victory. Most will simply have a gnawing fear that never quite goes away… like sensing the presence of a quiet enemy who was once a friend.
Their challenges may exhaust and bruise them as they attempt to adapt to gravity in a world now right-side up.
It is no coincidence that the world feels heavy upon their shoulders. It also is heavy upon ours.
May we lighten the burden of another by giving our tiredness and troubles to the Lord. In this distribution and acceptance of grace, Christ’s light shines through us… even in our seasons of parched joy. His light and love bring life and nourishment around and through the cracks in our own soil.
In this return to the Light of the World for warmth, the ground will, in His time, mend, the seed will root, and the bud will eventually bloom.
May we be patient in God’s love with ourselves and each other during this season.
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.