POV: You're about to explode.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." - 1 Corinthians 16:13

(Before I begin, I just want to take care of the obvious: the pics on this post are a little blurry!)

I guess the haziness of the pics speaks to the mood that I was in on Thursday when I took them...

If you play long enough, life will surely throw you a few curveballs.

It can throw them so curvy that your mind and emotions have a hard time wrapping themselves around how to digest this new information.

For some of us, it may come as disappointment in others (or ourselves)...

Maybe unexpected news from the doctor...

...or even, in the form of a loss of a loved one.

Yeah.

In those kinds of moments, it can feel like your heart and mind are about to explode -

Your mind grapples with an overload of questions as it tries to make sense of the new information.

Your heart is flooded with a myriad of emotions and you don't which one to feel or express.

You may be there - in a major or minor way - right now as you read these words. Can I offer you something that, honestly, I know is hard to act upon in the moment?

First, take a moment to just breathe.

Take a few deep breaths. As you do, I want to realize something: you're still breathing. You're still here. God has a purpose for your life. What's going on in your current situation is not enough to take that away and, as you can feel from your breath, God is keeping you in the midst of your storm. Praise God for that!

Next, I wanna give you the biggest *virtual* hug and grab you by your *virtual* hands and tell you that all of the things that you're feeling are valid.

I know it's tough.

I know you have a lot of questions.

I know you are feeling many emotions right now.

...but understand this: even though you feel alone, you are NOT alone! The same Jesus that suffered death on the cross for you is the same One that goes with you and before you. You didn't know that this moment was coming, but He did. He loves you and He's got you.

When our mental processing and emotions feel overloaded, that tells us something: we are carrying more than we were meant to bear.

The good news is that we have a Savior who promises that, if we give them to Him, He will carry all of our burdens. (Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 5:7)

So take this time to talk to Him. Tell Him how lost, angry, sad, disappointed, etc. that you are. Ask Him all of the questions that are popping up. Give it all to Him!

(Go ahead - he's waiting!)

Now, after you've done this, you may not have immediate answers to all of your questions. Know that you have been heard.

You may still be feeling some emotions - that's ok too. You're human, remember?

...but what you can do - right here, right now - is accept His rest from your circumstances. You have placed your cares into the most loving and trustworthy hands. Leave them there and continue to place your faith in God. He promises that hope in Him will never go in vain. (Romans 5:5).

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Now...that said: as your mind and emotions are getting themselves together - you might just need a day, like I did on Thursday . (& that's ok too!)

So grateful to have a job where self-care days are not frowned upon or difficult to take! For me, it was one quick text to my boss and I had a day to myself. (After all, I literally have 300+ hours of sick days!)

My day consisted of a ton of prayer, a few tears, and focusing on things that bring me joy:

I went to Target. What millennial woman doesn't love Target?! I roamed around aisles and aisles with no care or intention in the world and it felt good. Stumbled upon this SUPER cute home decor line with black women with afros and I couldn't resist grabbing a pillow!

Then, I took myself to the movies to see Inside Out 2. I think it might've been my first solo movie date, but I gotta say: it's a vibe! (Inside Out 2 is a must-see, by the way!).

I came home and shortly after my loving husband walked through the door with a S'mores cinnamon roll from Cinnaholic! Sooo yummy!

So, yeah. I felt a bit lighter after all of this...

Maybe you're not all the way there yet. That's ok.

What I don't want you to do, in your frustration and pain, is take back that weight that you let God have. Let our Father handle it.

He's got you and you are going to get through this! I love you. *big virtual hug*