Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
And you promised her that you would. So you did. You felt your grief, stopped avoiding your frustration, sat in your discomfort, and faced your pain. But you didn’t feel any better. Instead, you felt more upset and more hopeless than you did before. Why? Because your therapist didn’t tell you what to do after you had faced your difficult emotions—but I’m going to.
The year 2020 was a year of virtual everything—meetings, classes, conferences, church services, baby showers, bridal showers, funerals, performances, and more. I hadn't done much video chatting before 2020, but all of a sudden, video chatting became the new normal. While it's great for connecting with friends and family members who live far away, it can never replace in-person interactions and relationships.
This poem is based on an analogy from Scripture. As the church—Christ's bride—we can live in gratitude and joy because we no longer wear darkness and shame. Just as the groom typically wears a black suit and the bride typically wears a white dress at their wedding, Christ wore black—our sin—so that we could wear white—His righteousness.
Originally, I wanted these words to be song lyrics but then realized that they could become a poem. And as you read them, I want you to know that they're not just fluffy filler words. These words describe how I often fail and how I often feel as a result—but they also describe how faithful God is to forgive me. So while I'm not advocating habitual sin in this poem, I am advocating habitual returning to God's forgiveness.
I'm not saying that I'm going to let go of my relationship with Maddy. But grasping this relationship so tightly is making me exhausted. But what—or who—should I grasp instead?
We hold onto stress because we are natural worriers, and we believe the lie that a good dose of stress is healthy because it keeps us on track to succeed and accomplish. But, honestly, we often stress about things that don't end up happening. And, on top of that, life is ultimately out of our control because our God is sovereign. So what would happen if we just let go of our stress?
I know what it feels like to be the outsider looking in. So that's what this poem is about—watching your friends start dating, get married, and have families. This poem is about feeling stuck on the sidelines and wondering how long you'll be waiting. But the waiting isn't meaningless. You'll see why.
Despite what many Christians will tell you (or imply), it's actually okay to feel empty. You're not less of a Christian because you can't see, hear, or feel God right now...even if that "right now" period lasts for a while. It isn't our job as believers to conjure up emotions that don't exist.
If God is my everything, I don’t need anything. I don’t need a date for Friday night. I don’t need a boyfriend who buys me flowers. I don’t need a husband who holds me in his arms. And I don’t need Four. Because I have Him.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 