Everything Will Be Okay
"Please don't leave me here. I don't want to stay. I want to go back home and be with my mommy and daddy. Please take me with you. I'm so scared! Please don't make me stay." These words broke my heart that night. A 7 year old boy pleading to me to not make him stay in this new foster home because he was scared. There was nothing I could do. He had to stay. It was a safe home. He was with his siblings. It provided his basic needs. None of that was enough, though. He was legitimately uncomfortable, scared, and hurting. In that moment, all I could do was tell him it would be okay and we were all sad with him. We all wanted him to go back home to his mommy and daddy, but he was unable to at the moment. I could only keep telling him that he was brave, he was safe, and he could do it. Everything would be okay.
Oh, how this moment showed me that this is how I am with God. Life is hard. We experience things that make us feel sad, scared, and uncomfortable. We beg for those things to go away so we can just feel better. Oftentimes, it's not that easy though. We have to go through the whole situation and experience all the feelings that come with it. It doesn't matter how much we beg and cry, some things just happen and we have to push through. We are weak and helpless, but God is there. He is the One who is telling us "Everything is going to be okay. You are safe because I'm in control. I am sad with you, but we've gotta push through this together. You can do it because I am here with you."
In those moments, it is difficult to believe those words. Because again, we are hurting and want the pain to stop. If this moment of trying to help this kid calm down and believe everything would be okay grieved me because I couldn't make him choose to believe, how much more does God grieve when we don't choose to believe His words? We are talking about the God of the universe. The one who is control of ALL things. He knows what He's doing. Yet, we struggle to trust Him. He desperately wants us to understand that He is for us, not against. He has good things planned, but unfortunately we live in a broken world and times of trials and hardships come. That does not mean He is any less with us. Scripture says, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10). In those moments, we must choose to cling to Him and trust in His words and promises to us. "For He does not give us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7).
Working in the foster care system, I often feel helpless. I feel as if I can do nothing to change the messy and broken situation. My heart breaks to see these broken families and these children who just long to go back home with their parents. No matter the cost and how bad the situation is. It is their family. More than that though, I feel helpless because of the expectation to fix the problem. I already struggle enough with pride and thinking I can do everything on my own without the help of anyone, so this expectation only increases my desire to be WonderWoman. I want to come in and save the day and will work myself to the point of exhaustion trying to do so. How unrealistic this thought is. If I think that I can actually fix the situation and make everything good for them, I am lying to myself. Yeah, I might be able to offer some good resources, suggestions, tips, etc... but I cannot fix the situation or fix the people. As hopeless as this may sound, it is not at all because I know the One who CAN fix all things. He can change hearts. He can redeem broken relationships. He makes things new. He shows up and does the impossible. He does the things that NO ONE else can do. I mean, let's be real, he literally conquered death. What else could stand against? Absolutely nothing.
My prayer is for a heart of humility, neediness, and faith. For all of us. May we see that we are broken and hurting people in need of a Savior. No one can fix us, and we can't fix ourselves. Only God can turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh and give us a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). May we lay down our pride and our constant striving to be perfect, have it all together, and fix every problem that comes our way. Trying to do these things will only lead to a constant feeling of exhaustion, anxiety, frustration, anger, feelings of failure, and the list goes on. Join with me in prayer. For nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37) and He hears our cries and answers them (Psalm 116). For He is good and faithful. Not a single thing is impossible for Him. Pray boldly, confidently, and with faith. He's got this and He's got you. Everything will be okay."
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”