Do you feel a bit withered these days?

I do.

It’s been over a year since the rumblings about COVID started, and while I know that progress is being made, my soul is a bit parched.

We have little or no social interaction, and even when we smile, no one can see it through our masks.

There are so many things that I miss, that it would be easy to become bogged down.  We are, as my friend, Jon Engen said, “Slogging through the mud.”

But as people of faith, we hold on to the hope … no, the promise of scripture.  Here are a few that I read in a different light these days.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
Isaiah 40:8 NIV

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary,
They will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

So, while we may be … no, we ARE tired of our current circumstances, this is only a small part of our eternal journey. We may be parched, a little withered, but we will not succumb to the enemy.