My 20s are not at all what I expected them to be. 2020 is not what any of us expected it to be. This season of life is “supposed” to be all about celebrating milestones, new opportunities, and coming into your own.
It can feel lonely to come face-to-face with shattered expectations. To get hit with a devastating diagnosis, cancelled plans, and endless job interviews.
Can you relate?
For the first time in a long time, things have shifted forever. There’s no going back. We, as a generation, are all coming face-to-face with grief. Unmet expectations. Cancelled, delayed, or changed plans.
It has NEVER BEEN LIKE THIS BEFORE
Our weddings are changing. Our graduations are witnessed by a few, instead of many. Our health isn’t taken for granted or viewed in isolation from our communities. Our jobs hang in the balance. Our plans for the future and our children shift like sand in the wind.
Nobody is immune. Literally and figuratively. Perhaps, in the previous decade, some of us could have pretended to be above the turbulence of young adulthood. But now, every single.one.of.us is affected.
We can’t hide or run away from grief anymore. We can’t cross the street, metaphorically, when we see our fellow friend’s pain. Because we have carried some hardships too. The only choice moving forward, is to help bind up each other’s wounds, and meet each other with the resources we have. To give from a place of grace.
TRADING INVINCIBILITY FOR RESILIENCY
Giving from a place of grace often looks like providing for each other’s tangible needs. It can also mean taking a deep breath before responding to someone else’s story. It usually looks like choosing self-care so we’re not pouring out our emotional and physical energy from an empty cup. It means realizing we’re not invincible in our own strength, but rather, resilient in Christ.
It’s time to embrace our vulnerability and move forward with resilient action.
The story doesn’t end here. God comforts us in our circumstances, but he never promised a “comfortable life.” He grieves besides us, not apart from us.
He promises his presence. Guidance. Strength. Wisdom.
Job titles, attendance counts, and lavish ceremonies are not guaranteed. We’re entering new territory, and breaking new ground.
A CASE FOR COMMUNITY
Like never before, we are realizing the impact we have on each other.
Friends who’ve lost touch with each other are reaching out via technology
My local community has been mobilized to help families who need groceries.
People have time to ask each other spiritual questions over text threads.
I’ve seen God work to reach the “digital generation” to enter virtual church doors.
No longer are our identities built upon our achievements or disappointments. We can build our identities on the lasting foundation of God’s promises which will help us weather the up and downs of the decades to come.
We need each other, and each one of us is uniquely gifted to serve. Not because we need to tick off any boxes, but because we each have something very valuable and worthwhile to give. Your people need you, not as a perfect and accomplished young adult, but as a unique daughter/son of God who has inherent worth.
WHY EASY ANSWERS WON’T CUT IT
I’m still left with a lot of questions. Ones that are not easily or quickly answered.
“I thought by now…”
“Why can’t it be like…”
God has not answered all of them. But I’m not going to stop asking him. I hope you don’t either.
The 2020s are going to be unpredictable for all of us,
and we’re not meant to wrestle with these questions by ourselves.
Will you join me?
“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9
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If you’re interested in learning some simple actions you can start taking today, sign up below for a FREE self-care devotional. It explores how Jesus prayed, Jesus napped, and Jesus wept. It’s a great resource for these unpredictable times.
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