By Miriam Rossow
Recently I was in a funk. You know the kind of funk where you are irritable, crabby, and depressed all at the same time. My communication within every relationship was horrible and I felt like I was failing in all areas of my life.
I thought I was on the same page as my husband only to find out we were on completely different pages. I was trying to hear God in a decision and it was difficult. I was feeling like the people closest to me–the ones I trusted the most to be open and honest–thought I was making the wrong decision. So I was failing again.
I failed in sharing important news with my family and bringing them in on a decision-making process. I was letting my kids down and being all-around irritated with them for no good reason. I felt as though the close friends I had were slipping away and wondering why the friendship was not growing deeper and stronger.
Of course I felt all of this silently and quietly. I talked with God about it some, but mostly I just kind of lived feeling as though I was going deeper and deeper down this hole. I went to church and listened and sang, but still walked around in a haze just not feeling like myself.
It was dreary and cold and we were all huddled up. The kids were playing and talking and fixing dinner because no parent was fixing dinner. My friends came and sat down at the table and said “let’s talk.” We found a room with no kids, locked the door after being interrupted numerous times, and shared.
One by one we shared a desire to pray and connect with each other. We shared our hearts and confessed how we had broken communication or failed in our relationships with each other and others. We laughed and cried as we connected. And slowly the funk began to fade away.
Then we prayed together. Each of us taking turns to talk to Jesus and thank Him for our friendship. We thanked Him that He pursued us so graciously and consistently.
As we talked to Jesus we confessed and asked that He cast away the evil one that was putting lies in front of us. We asked that He guard us and protect us. We prayed for our children.
After we were done the air was different. The funk was gone! I felt better. It was amazing to experience the joy of praying together with followers of Jesus. It was amazing to be part of watching God work forgiveness in and through me. It was amazing to be part of God casting out and deflating the lies that I was believing about myself and my relationships.
It was amazing to be part of watching God work forgiveness in and through me.
Prayer allowed me to be part of God’s plan. It allowed me to be actively engaged in my walk with Him and those He put in my life. Prayer allowed me to be connected and focused on Him in a tangible way. What a gift and what a joy to share in God’s work through Jesus!
