Just breathe. Take a deep breath in and then slowly let it out. Feel the air fill your lungs, hold it there, and then release. Repeat these steps till you feel a sense of calm wash over you.
I see you. I see all the hard work you have put into so many areas of life. I see the many hours you spend praying for, and showing up at, the church. I see all the time, talent, and energy you have put into helping the gospel of Jesus Christ flourish. I see you showing up Sunday after Sunday, worshiping and serving. I see you working your own job that provides for the livelihood of your family and/or yourself. I see you taking care of your family and/or yourself. I see you showing up at protests to care for strangers. I see you engaging in tough conversations about things you are passionate about. I see you fighting for the rights of others. I see you just trying to make it from one day to the next. I see you. I see your pain, your joy, your sorrow, your excitement, your creativity, your contentment, your depression, your positivity, your effort to keep on keeping on. I see you, and I thank you for allowing me to see you. I see you, and I love you.
Please know that I also hold you. I hold you in my heart, and I hold you in prayer. It is a privilege to be able to do so. But more importantly, and of greater worth, God sees you too. God loves you. God holds you in God’s heart. I might miss some things, but God does not. God’s love is infinite and all-knowing and always searching for a place in your life. It is my prayer that you are able to take some time to slow down, take a deep breath, and not just fill your lungs with air, but fill your life with God’s love. Even when air stops sustaining us, God’s love will transform us to take on eternity with God. Of all the things you do this summer and all the things you do in your life, breathe in God, find life. Breathe out God, give life. Amen!
From one light to another,
Pastor Hannah Loughman
P.S. I love serving Jesus alongside you and sometimes being tired with you!