Weight of the world!

Isn't it amazing how in the midst of any amount of joy the weight of the world can come crushing down on us without warning. Sometimes to such a degree that we feel as though the very breath has been robbed from our chest.

All of us experience this in one or more ways many times during our lifetime and yet we are never prepared for it when it hits. Whether it be the stress of daily life, the ending of a relationship, a sudden life change, the loss of a loved one, or maybe the sudden emotional concentration of several events spanning many years triggered back to life by a current event, holiday, or the sudden reintroduction of someone into your life.

As someone who prides himself on optimism, energy, and the ability to turn any lemons into lemonade it never ceases to amaze me how hard these moments can hit and how little warning they give us. We all have demons lying under the skin, some dormant some just quieted temporarily. What is the cure, what measures can be taken to prevent these attacks or at least minimize the pain that they can inflict.

We are made stronger by our pain and the good lord brings us closer to him through it as well so tonight I pray to my god:

Father please hear your humble son this night. Please enter my heart and mind, purge the darkness that has settled in, shine your light on all of the areas of my life that you have blessed me. Show and remind me of all of the blessings I take for granted each day. Give me your peace knowing that those in my heart and on my mind this night are with you and rest in your kingdom. Grant me your strength to prevail in this battle against the darkness that ever threatens to overtake my heart. Wrap me in your loving arms and grant me your wisdom to recognize the earthly representation of your arms as they try to embrace me so that I do not turn my face and heart to them as so many times before. May the love of the lord embrace me and give me peace. Amen.