{"id":1501,"date":"2020-04-23T11:19:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/susie-l\/?p=1501"},"modified":"2020-04-23T11:19:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T16:19:02","slug":"a-story-for-when-its-hard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/susie-l\/2020\/04\/23\/a-story-for-when-its-hard\/","title":{"rendered":"A story for when it’s hard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2 short days Mary\u2019s world was flipped upside down.  Everything that she had known, the \u201crules to the game of life,\u201d as it were, were all thrown out the window.  Those rules wouldn\u2019t work anymore \u2013 not here, not now.  She\u2019d have to learn to navigate these new waters, figure out how this new life worked.  How could she educate her kids?  Buy groceries?  Buy toilet paper?  Have social interactions?  Even talking to her neighbors was now a chore!  Planning ahead is out the window, as she doesn\u2019t even know what today looks like.  Everything feels like an unknown today!  Will life ever go back to normal?  Or will she ever get used to this new normal?  Will she ever feel adept at living by these new rules?  Or even know what these new rules are?!? . . .<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which of the following endings to this paragraph best fits with the story that\u2019s playing out in your head?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . She continued unpacking her suitcases, trying to find places for these American things that looked so out of place in this new apartment that wasn\u2019t set up like any home she\u2019d ever been in.\u00a0 She knew life would get better as she started to learn this foreign language and culture and adjust to this new life overseas, but today it was hard.\u00a0 She was so grateful for the training she had received in how to adjust to a new language and make friends in a new culture, but everything was still so new and so different.\u00a0 It was going to be a long road, but she was looking forward to making a difference.\u00a0 And He was worth it. Wasn’t He?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . She looked at the calendar wistfully – at all those plans that would be changed for the next month because of the governor\u2019s new \u201cSafer at Home\u201d law to combat the coronavirus.  This new life will last at least a month, but what about after that?  How long will it really last?  And what will happen after that?  This is something that she had never imagined in her wildest dreams and something for which she was completely unprepared.  Help!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever thought about how what you may be going through right now is similar to what a new global worker faces when moving overseas?\u00a0 Having the \u201crules of life” suddenly not work anymore may feel like the rug was torn out from under your feet.\u00a0 Or maybe it wasn\u2019t \u201cthat bad\u201d at first, and though life was weird it was ok.\u00a0 But it\u2019s starting to get long, tiring, and discouraging now.\u00a0 Those are all normal feelings and emotions that people feel when entering a new culture, and the \u201ccoronavirus\u201d culture does seem to qualify as a different culture than normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you notice some of the differences between those two endings to the story, though?\u00a0 Unlike the new global worker who has had training and preparation, who knows that this is what God is calling them to, who had a choice in the matter, and who is being prayed for by lots of people back in their other home, many of you have never had such training, never imagined something like this happening to you, had no choice in the matter, and may feel abandoned and on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This weekend I received an e-mail from a friend at a church here in the US who asked for some Adjustment 101 basics\/tips, adding that she was afraid that she was a seed sown among thorns because she wasn’t sure her faith would survive this trial.\u00a0 It was my privilege to respond to her and I so appreciate her honesty and vulnerability.\u00a0 Thinking that some of you may be feeling the same way, though you may not put it in exactly those words, I wanted to share some of the same thoughts with you to encourage you that yes, it may be very hard, and that yes, you will make it through this since no, Jesus will never abandon you (Matthew 28:20).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Also, as an aside \u2013 some of you may be dealing with other things, such as depression or anxiety.\u00a0 Though those are, actually, common among global workers as well, I am not qualified to speak into them and am not trying to do so here.\u00a0 If you think you may be experiencing something like that, please talk to someone more qualified than I!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a bit of my advice from my Adjustment 101 course (I could give you examples of all of these from my life, but in order to keep this a bit shorter, I\u2019ll skip that for here.  But if stories of someone else dealing with this would encourage you, jot me a note and I\u2019ll send them your way!):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1.  It\u2019s ok if you feel like you have less energy than normal<\/strong>!  Living in the unknown, as your mind and body are trying to figure out the new rules to life, actually uses a lot of energy.  So your energy levels may feel lower than \u201cnormal,\u201d and that\u2019s ok.  Do what you can, and accept that you may need to sleep more, relax more, hang out more, or do \u201cnothing\u201d more.  Eventually your energy level should get back up to normal.<\/li>
  2. With that in mind, one thing that\u2019s important is maintaining personal interaction<\/strong> with others.  I know that it\u2019s hard now, but this can help you (eventually) feel more settled in this \u201cnew world\u201d you\u2019re living in.  It will also help you stay sane!  So even if you have to force yourself, make it a point to call a friend or family member, say, at least once a week.  Or plan a game night over Skype or Zoom or something.  One fun (free) game we\u2019ve found lately is Code Names online, available at www.codewordsgame.com<\/a>.<\/li>
  3. Stay encouraged in the Lord<\/strong>.  Especially if\/since you aren\u2019t around other believers as much as you\u2019re used to, you may need to be more intentional at \u201cfeeding your soul\u201d during these days.  As your heart is no longer distracted with all that you are used to doing (though I\u2019m sure they’re all good things!), you may notice it crying out for, for something.  And that can be filled in a painful yet somehow deeply-good way through listening to worship songs, reading the Bible, praying (though you may not always have words), and\/or listening to sermons\/Bible teaching.  Some Psalms I\u2019ve found really helpful in hard times are Psalm 3, 4, 18, 27, and 77.  Some songs that I\u2019ve found encouraging are (in no particular order):