Exhausted, Overwhelmed and Anxious? 5 Tips to Living at Peace

As the days of isolation roll on during this time of Covid-19, I find that working from home has both a relaxing and yet, draining effect.  I have actively been seeking ways to be supportive of youth pastors and local youth and young adult leaders and trying to give ideas on how ministry can be done during this crisis to lots of pastors, and just realized this morning...I'm exhausted.

And as I listen to people going through all that we are going through right now from all different perspectives, with all sorts of circumstances, many way worse than mine, I can hear exhaustion in their voice and on the Zoom calls I've been on, I can see anxiety on many faces.  And day after day of that type of drain can quickly lead someone to feeling overwhelmed...especially in light of the 24 hour news cycle which keeps it ever before our eyes.  So how do we deal?  How do we take care of ourselves so that we can continue to be useful to others?

I think first, we have to return to our faith.  I know some of you may have been away from your faith for awhile and may even have a running anger fest at God, but maybe now is the time to let that go.

Recognize that faith is not faith without the possibility of doubt.  To have faith in anything is not to remove all doubts, but to believe that there is enough evidence to believe in and then grow it from there.  For with faith, come a host of promises from God that will help you through the crisis at hand.

First, understand that Jesus never said that this life would be pain free and a smooth ride for the believer.  In fact, he said just the opposite.  In John 16:33 Jesus was speaking and he told His disciples this:  I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. (emphasis mine) But take heart!  I have over come the world."

Even before He tells us about the trouble, He informs us that in Him we can have peace.  Suddenly, with the eyes of faith, I can gain a different perspective on the grim outlook.  I can let go of some of the anxiety and I can surrender the feelings of being overwhelmed by recognizing that the arrival of the Coronavirus and Covid-19, did not shock God off the throne.  It didn't take Him by surprise.

Did He cause it?  No.  I believe it was caused by living in a sinful world and the fact that the devil is looking to find anyway he can to sweep millions into an early grave.  Can God use it for His ultimate good?  I believe He already is!

In my own life, it is amazing how much more focused I've gotten on the things in life that really matter.  My family.  The people I serve. Relationships.  And those things that I've been leaning on to keep me propped up, distracted and unfocused suddenly aren't that important anymore.  It's surprising how my priorities are coming back into focus!  And my realization of how much I (we) truly need God.  So I would say a return to faith in God and a settling into His promises can help alleviate the exhaustion, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.  Here's a few more promises before we move on.

Psa. 55:22 Give your burdens to the LORD,

and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.  NLT

Or how about this one.
1Pet. 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. NLT

The NIV even renders 1Peter 5:7 as: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Secondly, I would say, take this time to catch up on your sleep.  I didn't realize how sleep-deprived I was until I started staying home and suddenly began getting more hours of sleep per night.  Just getting good sleep can help you begin to relax a little more.  As we adjust to this "new normal" it is easy to begin staying up later, binge watching TV and missing sleep.

Thirdly, establish a new routine so that you aren't just totally burning the hours on Facebook or Instagram or the news channels.  Don't stay in your PJ's all day.  Getting up and getting ready for the day can actually help you feel more productive and contribute to an overall feeling of well-being.  Choose one or two things that you want to try to accomplish by days end.  Organizing a room.  Cleaning out a closet.  Catching up on your around the house to-do list.  Anything that will call on your concentration on something besides the Coronavirus will help you begin to help you regain mental health ground.  And if you feel productive, you are less likely to slide into a depression.

Fourthly, Unplug for a given amount of time each day.  You don't have to be glued to the news cycle 24-7.  As a matter of fact, I can tell you that about 95% of it will be bad.  And right now...it will be ...are you ready for this...very bad.  More deaths.  New outbreaks.  More shortages.  More political posturing.  More anger.  More frustration.  More anxiety over what else the "experts" are predicting is to come.  And the fact is, all it does is keep invoking your "fight or flight" mechanism and dumps large quantities of adrenalin into your system and simply causes your fear factor to rise.

Unplug from social media as well. Constantly checking your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or whatever feeds, will only show more of the same you have on the news.  I'm not saying to never check them, but I am saying take some hours each day and unplug from it all to allow your anxiety and adrenaline levels to fall.  Keeping them on a knife edge all the time will only lead to exhaustion and the lowering of your body's immune system.

Here's a few questions to consider:  Are you already doing what you can do to keep you and your family safe?  Will knowing the absolute latest as soon as it hits keep you any safer?  If you are already doing everything you know, then go ahead and unplug and do something productive and let your energies be channeled towards that.  Let your focus be absorbed by that and you will find your anxiety levels beginning to drop.

And last...seek to get in some form of exercise every day.  If you have a nearby park and can still get outdoors,  try to get a walk in-of course, keeping social distancing rules in play, if not, maybe use the old treadmill and exercise equipment you've had rotting in a room for a while.  But move your body some every day.  This will boost your immune system, and help get rid of the excess adrenaline your body has been pumping out, and leave you more relaxed and able to sleep better.

Let me leave you with this: Quite a few years back, I watched a Mark Lowry video as he shared his "favorite verse."  He then quoted. "And it came to pass..."  He stopped and smiled...then continued.  "Do you get it?  It didn't come to stay!  It came to pass."  So with a nod to Mark, here is my take on his "favorite verse".

Whatever you are facing today--just know that it will pass. Corona Virus...As hard as it is to believe...It will pass! On the flip side...are you having a great day? Enjoy it! It will pass. Facing tough stuff? Endure it. It will pass. It came...to pass.

God never leaves us stuck. Time moves on and it will pass. Focus on that and these little tips and you can come into a "new normal" soon.  And 

Will You Trust Me...Even Here?

The disciples were in a storm...a bad one. So bad that they felt they were going to drown, and despaired of life itself. Sound familiar? Feel like you're going to drown in the mass hysteria of the Covid-19 Pandemic? Getting so nervous and panicky you are despairing of life itself? Feel like "we're going in and this is it"? Many are despairing, but you don't have to. Read on.

Jesus had been teaching all day and He was exhausted! So exhausted that He told the disciples to push off and head across the Sea of Galilee. Let's pick up the whole story in Mark. It happens in 6 short verses. Mark 4:35-41 (New Living Translation)

Mark 4:35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Mark 4:38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

Mark 4:39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

These people had seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, turn water into wine...in short...they had seen Him do the impossible! But when the storm came up, their faith went down. THEY FORGOT HE WAS IN THE BOAT WITH THEM!!! (Have you?)

And then, when they did remember, they asked Him an almost insane question! Look back at verse 38..."Teacher...Don't you care if we drown?" Of course He cared! These guys were a vital part of His mission to save the world! They would be the ones spreading the message! (And so are YOU!)

And then Jesus woke up. He didn't ream them out. He didn't scold them. He simply rebuked the wind and the waves...He said "Be Still!" and they were! Then He asked them a question. It's the same question I believe He is asking us even now. "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

Put another way, I think this is the question that we, as Christians, have to answer every day. See, I believe that things come along to help us realize that we don't have the control we would like to think that we have. The fact is, we never really have had control of anything... except our choices.

Life happens fast, and as a Christian we are constantly having to re-examine where we stand with Christ...and the question is always there. It's His way of re-focusing us. Of calling us back to the basics and helping us reassess where we truly stand in our walk with Him.

And now, in this time of crisis, it is even more important that we both face, and daily answer, the question that Christ puts before us. The question: Will you trust ME...even here?

Oh wait, Pastor Don...He could sleep because He was God. I mean...He KNEW He wasn't going down. He had all of the power on earth. I would beg to differ. If He were all about saving His own life, He never would have gone to the cross. It wasn't death He was thinking about.

In fact, one of my favorite Christian authors, Ellen White, in her book The Desire of Ages, paints the scene a little better for us.

When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart. But He rested not in the possession of almighty power. It was not as the “Master of earth and sea and sky” that He reposed in quiet. That power He had laid down, and He says, “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” John 5:30. He trusted in the Father’s might. It was in faith—faith in God’s love and care—that Jesus rested, and the power of that word which stilled the storm was the power of God. {DA 336.1}

So it isn't in our own power that we are expected to meet this thing. It is in faith--faith in God's love and care--that we can rest as well. And we can look up as we hear His question, "Will you trust Me even here?" And though our answer may at first be feeble, we can choose, by faith to answer yes. And we can continue to answer yes until every time it is asked of us, whether in good times or in crisis, we can respond with a resounding yes. That's what is called the Faith Walk.

By faith I say YES...and God leads me one more step. Then asks again, "Will you trust Me even here?" And I choose, again, to say YES! And He leads me another step. I don't have to know every step from beginning to end. If I hold on by faith, He will continue to walk me, with both peace and confidence, through whatever the world or the devil may throw at me.

Will it be trying? Yes! Faith destroying? It doesn't have to be!  So hold on my friends and trust!

To hold on is not so much about bravery or courage, but a learned response from a long obedience in the same direction. It’s about being confident in the One who has called you.
· Hold on to your faith.
· Hold on to your care for one another
· Hold on to Jesus.

Every day Jesus asks you the same question: Will you trust Me even here? And your answer is?

Never Enough!

One of the most common things I hear as an opening line whenever kids come into to talk to me is, “Pastor Don, I’m so stressed I don’t know what to do.”

In our current society, we push kids, we hurry kids, we sign them up for all sorts of things…and think that it is never enough.  We expect them to be good at EVERYTHING…instead of taking their natural abilities into account.  We push and push for grades.  We enroll them in soccer and t-ball and gymnastics and dance and football and martial arts and we expect them to get all A’s in all subjects.  But what we are really doing is saying, in essence, “you will never be good enough unless you can produce the results.”  Or as one parent put it: “I’m paying the money so you better show me that I’m not wasting it.”  What’s the message there?  My money is very important to me.  I’m going to use some of it to help you develop…but don’t waste my money.  And the implied message is…if you don’t become good at it, you have failed me, and my money, and that is totally unacceptable.

Who says that everyone has to be good at everything?  What if, when they make a C in a class, you ask them what they are really good at and encourage them to pursue that?  What if you told them a C was good enough for an area they were not gifted in, while you encouraged them to pursue what they were gifted in?

What ever happened to individuality?  Instead, we want them to be good at everything…even when we are not!  We want them to make all A’s!  And we’ve gotten them to buy into the notion that unless they do, they will be a failure.

Help me finish these statements: You have to get good grades so that… (you can get into a good college)  You have to get into a good college so that…(you can get a good job)  You have to get a good job so that…(you can make lots of money)  You have to make lots of money so that…(you can be successful and happy).  Where did we get that?

From the world’s system of doing things.   So we put pressure on them to get good grades so ultimately they can be happy.  And what we really are doing is telling them that happiness is a station they can one day arrive at instead of a manner of traveling.  Which flies directly in the face of what God wants to develop in them.  God is more interested in their holiness than He is their happiness.  He wants to develop their character more than He does their bank accounts.  He wants them to find true joy in serving others.  But we short-circuit that in the lives of teens by elevating education and advanced degrees and people with money over serving God with passion.

Don’t misunderstand me.  There is nothing wrong with having an education and advanced degrees.  There is nothing wrong with being wealthy.  But if that is what we are telling kids will bring them happiness, then we have flat out sold them a lie.  And at what cost?  They have more stress in their lives than they can handle and we heap more and more on them telling them they have to do these things to what?  Climb the world’s social and economic ladders.  We tell them that what they are doing is never enough.

God designed that education and advanced degrees and even our wordly wealth all be used to honor Him.  Not some artificial socio-economic structure that we’ve bought into.  But there is something more inherently dangerous in this “never enough” message. 

This attitude carries over into their spiritual life as well.  We portray God as saying…you will never be good enough…but you better produce anyway.  Read your Bible.  Pray.  Witness.  Become a vegan.  Learn to preach.  Do good deeds for others.  Give Bible Studies.  Serve at the church. Get up at 4:30 every morning, exercise, never eat Twinkies (but Little Debbie’s are ok) and if you’re diligent, you just might make it.  But please understand…no matter what you do, it won’t be good enough.

And most will look at us and say, “Then why should I try?”  And we basically say, “Because that’s what God has called good little Christian boys and girls to do!  So do it!”

And we often make it harder than it should be.  

Why do we do that?   It’s perhaps because sometimes we get confused ourselves.  We sometimes don’t feel like we are good enough or are doing enough to make it into the kingdom. Let’s examine that for a few moments.

There used to be taught a theology, that unfortunately still lingers, that went something like this.  First of all, when you accept Christ, he forgives and cleanses you and imputes His righteousness to you.  That’s called Justification.  So far, they are on track.  No problem until we start looking at the “now what?” question.  After I accept Christ, now what?  

This line of theology goes that what happens next is that each day, Christ righteousness will come all the way down and meet you where you are and cover your inadequacies, but that He expects you to grow, so that each day, as you grow, Christ will need to cover less and less, until you have actually grown up to meet Him and you have perfectly reproduced the character of Christ.  This line of thought continues that at the end of time, when Christ stands up and makes His pronouncement about being holy, etc., you will need to stand without a mediator for a time, so you will need to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect, in order to make it to heaven.  If not, you are out of the pool and under the curse.

Sounds a little scary, but it also sounds plausible, so let’s examine it a little more closely.  If I tried to live a Christian life under that system, I would soon become very frustrated.  The frustration would come because I still come up against my sins and my sinful nature again and again, and it would seem that I may never reach the goal, no matter how hard I try.  As a matter of fact, when I really get honest, I realize that I will never  reach the goal!  No matter what I do, it will never be enough.  And the natural reaction would be to give up in defeat before I ever got started good.

But what does this theology do with Christ’s words in Matthew 11: 28?  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Where is the easy yoke and the light burden?  Living under this theology is heavy and defeating.  As a matter of fact, it’s a lie because it puts the emphasis on what I have to do instead of on Christ.  It actually puts me and my works in competition with Christ and His sacrifice for me. The fact is, I will always be in need of Christ and His grace.  Always! Anytime a theology becomes more dependent on me, instead of Jesus, I need to put it aside.

John 14:6   Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

See, I may never have enough, do enough, or be enough to make it on my own, but it’s not about me. It’s about Jesus.  Now THAT is Good News!!!

Recommissioned

Once Elijah hears the gentle whisper, he gets it. He had wanted a big display on Mt. Carmel to impress the people into following God. We often want the same thing. A big miracle. An unleashing of God's power to impress people of how powerful our God is. Like in the Bible when He parted the sea, or sent the plagues, or fought for Gideon who was way outnumbered. Or like the windstorm, the firestormor the earthquake in this case. There's power...but it's results are soon forgotten.

In the end, those things aren't what keep someone coming back to God. It isn't the wow factor that keeps us faithful. It's the "now" factor. Right now I can hear that gentle whisper if I just stop long enough. Right now I can be restored by time with God. Right now I can see my circumstances differently after having my perspective readjusted by God.

God let Elijah know that there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. In short...let's change your perspective Elijah...you are not the only one left. It's not as bad as it seems. And then God gives him his new marching orders. 1Kings 19:15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu."

Isn't that just like God? About the time we think we are worthless and we can't go on, He pulls alongside, lets us rest, gives us some fresh food and then re-commissions us. He's still in control. And He isn't done with you yet. Take some time. Rest. Listen. And be restored back to useful service for the Kingdom of God.

Elijah the Superprophet Needed a Vacation

So I'm reading the story of Elijah, the wonder prophet. That guy was amazing. Calling down fire on captains and their men for disrespecting him (I can think of a few church members:), telling the king it wouldn't rain again until he told him it would, challenging 450 prophets of a false god. Having them all killed. Praying for rain, then running in front of horses to lead them safely down the mountain. Then he falls asleep under a juniper tree...in the rain, only to be awakened by a messenger from the queen. Bottom line: you are so dead, dude!

What did the super prophet do? Freaked and ran. Which is a lot like me. Not the super prophet part...but the freaking and running part. It seems when we come to the end of our physical strength, often our spiritual resolve goes with it. In short, physical exhaustion leads to spiritual burnout. They are directly linked somehow. I don't know how, but I do know that when I am most tired, I am also most spiritually vulnerable. 

What about you? Are you getting enough rest? Or are you running on empty and finding that your spiritual resolve and strength are also gone? Think about that.  Answer honestly.

Can you imagine the people of Israel the next morning after Elijah's big showdown on Mt. Carmel? They probably looked for the prophet, but couldn't find him. They didn't know that he had received a death threat during the night and in his exhaustion had high-tailed it out of town. Just the day before, they had been on their faces declaring, "The Lord, He is God." And now, with no prophet of God in sight, they had no idea what they should do, so they did what they always did. Went and sacrificed to Baal. What a waste. 

There is something to be said for faithfulness even in the midst of discouragement. Had Elijah remained, God could have wrought a signal victory against Baal worship in Israel. But Elijah didn't stay. And the faith advantage was lost. Perhaps we fold too easily in times of discouragement. Perhaps if we hold on, God can use us to "change the culture". But often, we come to the end of our strength and we lose heart. And we run.

Here's the cool thing. God didn't dog Elijah for his failure. Instead, God gave Elijah a vacation. And fed him. Perhaps God expects more failure out of us than we do. 

Elijah ran. And ran. And finally, when he felt he had put enough distance between he and Jezebel, he collapsed. This same guy is the one whom God had hidden for 3 and a half years, though Ahab had searched all of Israel as well as all the surrounding countryside. It is much easier to trust God when you have it all together and you are feeling good. But much harder when you are exhausted and broken. 

That's where we find Elijah. Exhausted and broken. And the cool thing is, rather than slip a lightning bolt to land just behind him to motivate him, God does something cooler. He loves him. He sends an angel to fix a meal and then gently awaken him. Elijah sits up, eats and then goes back to sleep. Me? I would have freaked that there was another being sitting there with me. But scripture doesn't give any reference to that. It only says he ate and went back to sleep. 

Sometimes, what we need to rejuvenate us is rest. Sleep. A break from media. A quiet place in the middle of nature where we can simply ponder life and then go back to sleep.

Have you thought of taking a personal spiritual retreat? It doesn't have to be for 2 or 3 days, but maybe just an afternoon of solitude and stillness. Don't wait until it is too late. When the pressure is rising and the stress levels are increasing, schedule a half day retreat...or a full day...or better yet, 2 or 3 days away where it is just you, God and the quiet. Rest helped Elijah the super prophet...it might just help you.

Reason to Hope

It’s amazing how one phone call or one conversation or one piece of information can suddenly plunge us into our own world of darkness.  You know what I mean. “There’s been a terrible accident.”  “I hate to tell you this, but your tests came back positive.  You have cancer.  There’s not much we can do.”  “Your mommy and I just can’t live together anymore.”  We hear those words and our world goes dark.  The birds may be singing and sun may be shining, but it’s raining on the inside.  The storm clouds have moved in and the thunder and lightning in your soul drown out just about everything else.  Ever since sin entered into this world, life has become full of those moments. 

We can’t escape them.  We can try to pretend that they aren’t there and that nothing is wrong, but it doesn’t make it so.  We can deny and act as though we are fine, but our soul is in solitary confinement with the light shut out.  Where do we find the hope in a time like that?  Where is our one blade of grass on those days?  How do we go on when we don’t even want to?  What is our reason to hope?

And as long as you have hope, you can’t be defeated.  I’m not talking about unrealistic denial of the facts.  I’m not talking about hoping for what can never be.  I’m talking about a realistic trust in the Lord; a looking to Him for your stability in the midst of your storm.  A confidence that no matter what happens, He will see you through.  When you have that hope within you, no one can take it away, no matter what they do to you.  And you will, yourself, be a source of hope to those around you.

Anthony de Mello in his book The Heart of the Enlightened, page 19 writes:

Once upon a time in a concentration camp there lived a prisoner who, even though he was under sentence of execution, was fearless and free.  One day he was seen in the middle of the prison square playing his guitar.  A large crowd gathered to listen, for under the spell of his music, they became as fearless as he.  When the prison authorities saw this, they forbade the man to play.

But the next day there he was again, singing and playing on his guitar with a larger crowd around him.  The guards angrily dragged him away and had his fingers chopped off. 

Next day he was back again, singing and making what music he could with his bleeding fingers.  This time the crowds were cheering.  The guards dragged him away again and smashed his guitar.

The following day he was singing with all his heart.  What a song!  So pure and uplifting!  The crowd joined in, and while the singing lasted, their hearts became as pure as his and their spirits were invincible.  So angry were the guards this time that they had his tongue torn out.  A hush descended on the camp, a something that was deathless.

To the astonishment of everyone, he was back in his place the next day swaying and dancing to a silent music that no one but he could hear.  And soon everyone was holding hands and dancing around this bleeding, broken figure in the center while the guards stood rooted to the ground in wonder.

Two thousand years ago, thinking to silence hope, the devil looked at the Singer of life and love said, “Destroy this One, and we destroy any hope that humanity ever thought of having!”  And he did his best.  Satan used one of Jesus’ friends to betray Him.  The mob took Him. They spit on Him; pulled out His beard, beat Him until He was almost dead.  Then forced Him to carry his cross up a rugged hill, and there, they crucified Him. 

“That should do it!” Satan beamed.  And for a while, it looked like it would work.  The disciple’s world caved in.  They locked themselves into a room for fear of the Jews.  It was as if a hush descended on the camp, a something that was deathless.

All seemed bleak.  Hopeless.  Dark.  But then someone found the crack in the concrete.  A small hole with a single blade of grass hope.  “Hey, I wonder if it’s really true?” “What’s that?”  “Well, you know, what He said about the third day.”

It seemed hopeless to all, but to the astonishment of everyone, on the third day, Jesus was back in His spot once again singing hope.

Scripture tells us in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  That’s hope.

Psa. 62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Rom. 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Jer. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I don’t know what dark cell you may be in this morning.  I don’t know what is darkening your sky…But I do know there’s hope.  I have no idea where you are in your walk with Jesus, but let me just say: That’s where your hope lies.  That’s where you will find it.  It may only be a blade of grass hope to start with, but He promises to give you a hope and a future.

You can go on.  You can make it, because He did.  You have an assurance of tomorrow because He’s provided it for you.  He’s still in His place singing His song of hope.  It may seem silent in your soul…but if you look closer, you might just see Him dancing and swaying in place to a music that can’t be conquered.  A music, that in the face of all odds can bring you hope.  A music that He longs to bring to your soul.  Because He did all that for you, He can bring you hope.  Open up your heart and receive it.  Look out from the darkness of your soul and see the color once again, no matter what you are facing.  It may be only a small wisp of fresh air and a view revealing that small blade of green grass, but that still signals there’s hope.  And Jesus is holding it out to you.  Reach out and take it. Take it and let Him put the music back in your soul.  And then turn to your neighbor, turn to your family, turn to any the Lord brings across your path and share that hope with them.  Be in your spot, singing hope to a world that so badly needs it.