Are You Living In Chronic Survival Mode?

Are you constantly living with unresolved stress? Here is how I find solace to help in both the mundane and the monumental moments of life.

Thank you for all the well wishes and congratulations for Eve this past week!

Eve recovered from pneumonia just in time to compete in the Maryland State Championship for indoor track, in both the 4×800 relay and the 500 meter!

Her relay team was so close to medaling, but took 4th place and Eve took 7th in the state for the 500M.

We are so proud of Eve for trying a new sport and leaning into new experiences as a freshman!

In other news…

Have you noticed the ground waking up around your neighborhood?

These snow drops are my favorite flower of all time.

Forget roses and all the fancy flowers…just give me a gentle white snow drops forcing forward any day.

Want to know what I even love more than spotting them for the first time, after they have pushed themselves up through the cold hard ground?

I love that this year, our youngest daughter Livvy, came racing into the kitchen from the garage, after she had spotted them for the first time, shouting, “MOM! The snowdrops are here!”

I viewed her excitement for spying the new energy sprouting up, despite the dreary and cold days…as hope.

What I have learned is that, noticing the smaller things, awakens your senses to seeing God in all the things, that we sometimes, would otherwise miss.

The simple transformation of changes outside are unspoken testimonies to the power of our Creator and the lengths He will go to, to remind us that He is still God…and He is still on the throne.

And so friend, during this season right now, when the earth begins to quietly stir, waking up the beauty beneath…

I am keenly aware, that while this time of year comes with a widened lens of what feels like prolonged waiting, it also awakens me to all the things demanding my attention and energy…with more things on the way.

If you’re new around here, you may not already know that I am also a contributing writer for the esteemed Christian community of Club31 Women.

Last week, I was published again by Club 31 Women and so, today on the blog, I would love to take a pause from my home decorating posts, in order to share my open heart with you, in the hope that it will bring you the dose of encouragement you need right now.

As always, the aim of my heart, here on this blog, is to bring you inspiration for your home and encouragement for your heart.

Thank you friend, for being part of the Home with Heather community. I am so glad you are here!

P.S. If you love what you read and see here, please forward my emails along to a friend who you think would love a dose of inspiration and encouragement, so that they can subscribe too! 🙂

Every morning I start my day, slithering out of bed, slipping not one but two pairs of socks off of my always cold feet, and tip toeing downstairs to “wake up the house.”

While the coffee is dripping, I slide the curtains open, turn on a soft lamp and sink into the same worn spot on our sofa, to meet with Jesus and pray.  

It’s often my most favorite part of my day, because it’s the time of day when I feel most at ease, most cared for and am most gentle with myself.

Some mornings, I am quick to surrender and eager to begin my conversation with God.  Other mornings, I am slower in spirit, sluggish in words and distracted with what to share with the One who knows me best.

But on a recent morning, I found myself deep in praise, overcome with thankfulness for God’s sovereign protection. 

Just 8 hours earlier, after tucking in our youngest daughter goodnight, I had been sitting up in bed.  Waiting for my husband to return home with our two oldest daughters, from a later than usual, evening lacrosse practice.

Are You Living In Chronic Survival Mode?

Expecting the girls to poke their heads in, to say a quick and quiet goodnight, I was instead greeted with a loud, adrenaline pumping announcement. 

“Mom! We almost died!”

My daughters sputtered heart fluttering words out like:

Stop sign. 

Speeding. 

He didn’t stop. 

Almost hit us.

Scared. 

Crazy. 

As our girls continued processing out loud, with fresh realizations scattering, and raw and real emotions barreling out, my husband rounded the bedroom corner…

Silent.

Clearly shaken and still very stunned.

He eventually joined the conversation and met my wide eyed questions, with these five words:

“I can’t even explain it.”

In short, another driver approaching the same four way intersection, blew through the stop sign at a speed of no less than 60 MPH.  It later became evident that the oncoming driver who almost T-boned our family car, did not realize that there was in fact, an intersection or stop sign at all.

As my husband and daughters sat idle in the middle of the dimly lit intersection, paralyzed by a state of shock, another driver across the way, pulled their vehicle next to them, rolled down his window, and asked:

“Are you all O.K.?  I saw the whole thing.”

It was then, they noticed that the speedy, unaware driver, had also pulled over, farther down the road. 

Probably coming to the jarring realization of the almost violent collision, that was somehow…someway…avoided. 

Praise God.

Have you ever had a similar experience?

One minute you are on the road of life, minding your own personal brand of mundane.

And in the next, your literal life flashes before your eyes, or your hopeful future is threatened, by a sharp, brutal interruption, halting the, now desirable, ordinary daily grind of life.

These spiky reminders of life’s fragility have a way of popping up and jarring us into powerlessness, from time to time, don’t they?

Whether it’s a treasured friend’s cancer diagnosis, the death of a close family member, a chronically sick child, or a very real and unexplainable, dramatic close call.

No matter what it is…we take a hit.

Here’s what I know.

Coming face to face with, and admitting our vulnerability in this tumultuous and chaotic world, when a whammy pops out of nowhere and brings us to our knees – 

Well, that kind of collision of the heart, at the tender intersection of humanity and fragility, can feel a lot like defeat. 

But, here’s what I also know. 

We are not alone.

We have a Helper.

God’s Word says that His power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9).

And, it’s actually in our weakness that He is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Yes friend, He is indeed, our Helper. 

I don’t know about you, but there is not a day in my life, when I have not needed God’s help.

And every time I’ve needed help?

God has been faithful to His Word and helped, because He is our Helper. 

But there, in the midst of everyday daily trials, it’s easy to forget isn’t it?

It’s easy to slip into self sufficiency mode and forget that we have access to The all powerful.  

The One who is able and available anytime, anywhere, to help us with both the big and the small.

I know for myself, there was a time, when I trusted God with the salvation of my eternity but not with the details of my day.

I would trust Him with the monumental, but struggle with seeking Him in the minimal and mundane. 

I missed out on taking opportunities to connect and share with Him about all the things on my mind and failed to ask Him for help with all that was piling on my plate. 

But somewhere along the way, I accepted the truth, that my need for help does not make me a failure or inadequate…it makes me human.

But, even still, it’s easy to skim along and skip over seeking God for help, with daily stressors.

Or, perhaps we don’t feel like the small stuff that causes the pileup on the highway of our hearts, is worthy enough, to take to Him.

And so?

We reserve going to God and asking for His help with only the big stuff. 

Sweet friend, may I just encourage you today, that God wants IN on your every day distresses?

God’s Word tells us to “cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

He invites us to cast every single day to day dilemma and to-do list, every messy feeling and every up and down rollercoaster emotion on Him. 

Because, His shoulders are strong enough to carry it all.

From top to bottom, every single day, every single detail.

God wants IN on it ALL.

Not just the super major and monumental. 

But the nagging anxious thoughts.

The small and lonely places of our everyday.

The hideouts of our hearts, where we carry our worries for our reputation, our relationships, our businesses, our homes, our children, other’s perceptions of us, and our fears of failure.

Yes, friend. 

In His lovingkindness God extends again and again His radical love and grace into our everyday dilemmas, dramas and details, the omnipresent offer to be our center of gravity in the free fall of daily life. 

In the midst of our imperfect, present circumstances, we have access to an able God, and the invitation to share in a heartbeat of harmony with Him, because He is the upholder of our life. 

In other words?

God’s heart, seeks to save us from the crisis that is caused by suffering from living life in chronic survival mode.

Praise God friend. 

There is a better Way home. 

With God, we don’t have to fight, flee or freeze.

Instead?

We can breathe still.

Yes, breathe.

And be still.

Because the One who holds the world in His hands…is holding you up today and every day.

May you breathe still today sister.

In Your Life:

What about you?

Do you ask God for help with what may seem like simple tasks, daily trials and smaller situations?

Do you look to God for help in your “everydays” and not just for the Promise of your eternal days?

In His Word:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

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Let’s Connect:

Heather is a lifestyle blogger, women’s speaker and owner of Home with Heather, a home decorating and interior styling business. For more inspiration for your home and heart, follow Heather on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for inspiration to empower you on your walk with God and inspire you with new and fresh ways to love your home.