It's A Wonderful Life?

January 23, 2021

At least once a year I try to watch my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."

I tear up, I smile, and I laugh everytime I watch it.

This year, we watched it on New Years Eve. George Bailey experienced seeing what life would look like without him in it. He saw first hand what a wonderful life that he had.

When he stood on the bridge, leaning on the railing, praying and begging God for his life back, I cried that same prayer.

Literally.

A month ago, in the midst of the excitement of the Christmas season, one minute I was a busy girl, the next, I was flat on my back in bed.

I am telling you, by New Years Eve I was done not being able to do my normal life. I missed it so much. I even missed doing my dishes.

I have felt trapped. I have felt scared.

I wanted to be back in the game, and still do.

I will tell you, I have rested a lot.

The last two years have exhausted me. It seemed like my responsibilities had taken over and I could not catch up. I was basically running on empty physically and emotionally.

When people came in last March for the pandemic, some were bored. Not me. My schedule and responsibilities increased at my home due to certain circumstances.

I wanted a break. I needed a break.

I definitely did not want a break where I am flat on my back in bed.

I have had LOTS of forced rest this last month.

I have prayed to get back into life.

When I look at how covered I am with love and provision I rest.

When I don't - I struggle. I struggle big time.

Fears assault my mind about moving
forward in healing. I worry that what I do will send me back to where I started.

Struggles are real...

Isn't that how life around the globe has been this last year?

Aren't we struggling to get back to our normal?

Feeling trapped?

Lost?

Controlled?

Yet, sometimes I wonder...when I am better, do I want life to look exactly like it did before? I was tired. Running on empty and not really going in a direction I wanted to go.

When I am back to what is normal how can I make my life even better. What changes can I make?

A verse from the Bible kept showing up when I was reading things.....

Isaiah 43:18-19

"18. Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland."

I have been out of circulation for a bit. Oh, that God would make a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland so I can get back into life.

It isn't fun in the wilderness when there isn't a way to go. Nor is it fun in the wasteland without streams to refresh one self.

What is the new thing? How can I step back into life and start picking up responsibilities in a new way? A better way?

How can we around the globe make things better as life starts to resume some normalcy?

What new way does God have for us?

In George Baileys case it was merely a new perspective. He went back to life with the knowledge of how wonderful his life really was. Even the loose banister post that frustrated him no longer did when he returned back to his normal life.

Maybe it can just be a perspective change.

However, or whatever it is, when life moves to more normalcy I hope we can see God's new way for us. That for now, that we would walk on the path He made through the wilderness and be refreshed by the stream in the wasteland.