Over the past 14 months, moms and dads have had to master the art of parenting in a pandemic. From distance learning, to juggling the demands of full-time work and homeschooling, deal with loss, and more, this year has felt like a never-ending stress cycle for many. That's why, in honor of Mother's Day, we want to encourage parents. How do you parent beyond burnout?
If you feel knocked down, God has a message of hope for you in Luke 8:41-55. In the passage, Jairus, an official in the synagogue, appeals to Jesus in desperation to heal his dying daughter. On the way to Jairus' house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touches Jesus and is healed. Jesus pauses to restore the woman, and by the time they get to Jairus' house, the little girl had died. In this story, life is lived between a casket and a curse. The casket represents Jairus' 12 year old daughter, who had died. The curse represents the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.
A YEAR OF LANGUISHING
Likewise, many of us have been living life between a casket and a curse all year long. There are people we lost this year to a literal casket. Other things have died too: Like dreams, adventures and hopes. What's in your casket? Is your joy long gone? Is your rest long buried under layers of responsibility and worry? Honestly, many of us have been languishing in this time. Languishing is a chronic condition that exists in the gap between depression and flourishing. It's like running on a treadmill aimlessly and endlessly. But, in Luke 8, we see the hope of Jesus arrive on the scene.
IN BETWEEN A CASKET AND A CURSE IS A CROSS
When all else seemed hopeless for Jairus, Jesus turned to the grieving father in his desperation and said "Don't be afraid; only believe, and she will be well." Only believe in the way-maker and miracle worker. Only believe that, when things appear to be dead, God can bring new life into dry bones. That's because, in between a casket and a curse is the Cross.
At the end of the chapter in Luke 8, Jesus tells Jairus' little girl to "get up!" and she miraculously raises back to life. Likewise, Jesus died willingly on a Cross for us, then rose again to defeat death once and for all. He took our sin, our shame, our death and our suffering. His sacrifice allows us to persevere through difficult circumstances, too. Truly, we can have hope in the midst of circumstances that feel hopeless. So, when you believe in what Jesus Christ did through his death and resurrection, you can experience the fullness of all healing, restoration, hope and redemption! If you are experiencing burnout this Mother's Day, God can give you this ultimate gift. So, like Jesus said "Get up!" to Jairus' little girl, he's saying it to your weary soul. We pray that your spirit would be renewed today by the hope that comes from Christ alone.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES