27: Who Jesus Says We Are: Held

Last week, I talked about how I've recently hit my one year anniversary as a social worker, and how I never knew how difficult it would be when I signed on. Many days, I have run myself ragged trying to get everything done. I have come home frustrated and exhausted, and it has been hard to make out any light at the end of the tunnel. And when the gloom and doom are the sole focus of my attention, it becomes difficult to remember the simple truth that no matter what happens, I am blessed. When I look back over the past year, I can only say that it is only by the grace of God that I have made it. There have been thousands of miles, more than a dozen children -- parents who have died, parents who have been put in jail, emergency room visits, pregnancy tests, the threat of communicable disease, runaways, telephone calls in the middle of the night, and more. There has been more anxiety than you would think one fragile person can withstand.

There were days when it seemed the only thing keeping me from having a panic attack while driving in Atlanta was the fact that I simply could not stop the car in the middle of I-285.

There are so many things that I don't understand, so many things that I do not know. But what I can tell you for sure is that over the past year, I have experienced the Lord's mercy and compassion like never before. He has been so near and personal to me.

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. -- Lamentations 3:22 (NIV)

He has held me, and held me together.

And when I look back over my life, I see that He has been holding me together through every moment.

Even the ones when I was quick to turn to something else in search of safety or fulfillment. So often, I am forgetful of the fact that none of this comes as a surprise to God. He longs to be gracious, and how often do I neglect the freedom He has given? How often do I deliberately choose to ignore freedom? I shudder to even consider it.

Yet, I am held, and I am blessed. Even on the days when the bottom falls out. Even when the bills fill up the mailbox. Even when it feels like I am a complete failure as a wife and a homemaker. Even when I disappoint people. The grace of God covers me, and I am held.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. -- Colossians 1:17 (NASB)

I don't know what it is you're facing today. Perhaps you feel like you've reached the end of your rope, and you feel like maybe His grace will run out. But you can rest assured that His grace never fails. You can rest, assured. He is a Savior and a problem fixer and a provider and the Lover of your soul. He is patient and kind and He is ready to catch you.

So I offer this prayer of letting go:

Lord, it is in You that we live and move and have our being. Thank You for being a God who does not fall asleep at the wheel, but is intimately involved in even the most seemingly insignificant details of our lives. Help us to slow down today, and take in how You love us. Help us to let go of the earthly things we cling to and instead hold fast to the promise that You will not let us fall. Help us to remember that You are our strength, our healer, our provider, and that You go before us. You are faithful to pick us up when we stumble. Lord, I pray that the person reading these words in this moment will experience Your nearness and Your love for them that never runs out. In Jesus' name, so be it.

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The Conversation Starts Here: 

What is it that you need to let go of in order to hold on to Jesus?

How can I pray for you today?

{Leave your questions + answers + thoughts in the comments below.}

Some Fine Print:

This is the twenty-seventh of thirty-one installments to be posted throughout the month of October. To view the entire table of contents as it is made available, click here. You can receive the entire series in your inbox for free by subscribing via email (no spam, just my heart by way of weblog). Please feel free to pass these words along to a friend. Sharing is caring!