Recently, I’ve been struggling at work. To be honest, this has been going on for several months.
There have been a series of unfortunate events that have taken place over the past few months, and no matter what I do, I just cannot seem to crawl out of this massive hole that I find myself in. I’ve been calling it “the perfect storm” because all these things that happened would not have normally happened all at the same time. It was one thing after another, and no matter what I did to try to correct the situation, I still found myself struggling to stay afloat in this sea of distress.
I was having difficulty breathing because of the stress that I was feeling. My body ached because of the strain of anxiety. I was taking on all of the pressures of the workplace and trying to carry these on my own. Because I was the only one who could possibly fix this, or so I thought. I was putting all of the stress, worries, troubles, and struggles on my back and trying to shoulder the load all by myself. My breath was short and my body was tensing up because of the enormous weight that I was carrying. I was in a very dark place with no sign of light to be seen.
Then I happened to look up at the crucifix that I have hanging in my office at home. It is a small replica of the resurrection cross that hangs in the sanctuary at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. As I gazed at the cross, I cried out, “Lord, I need you! I desperately need your help! I am a mess, and I cannot do this on my own. Please, Lord, help me!”
It was then that I felt a sudden burst of a peaceful calm come over me. Although it was brief, I felt these words touch my heart, “I am here with you.”
How often we forget, especially during the low times in our lives, that Jesus is not far from us. We truly need Jesus in our lives, and all we need to do is look for him, search for him, breathe in his presence, and truly believe that he is always by our side. Jesus will never, ever abandon us.
Jesus is here, right now, at this very moment. What do you want to say to him?
We all need some prayer, silence, and solitude.
Allen, I’ll be keeping you in my prayers. Good you spoke about it. It helps you to put those feelings into words, and it helps those of us who read it realize we’re not alone. I turn to our Lord so often every day. I feel the love. God bless you and keep you in his care.
Thank you, Carol.
With such upheaval in our Diocese right now and in our Parishes, this reminder is much needed.
Jesus we need you.