I was grieving all the things that were missing in my life. Individually, as a church, as a nation, we are grieving the loss of so many things, it is almost hard to count them all.
There is even a whole book about laments called Lamentations.
In the Women in the Word Thursday evening Bible study class that I attend, we studied the lament. There are both personal laments, as well as corporate laments. I learned how to lament (doesn’t it just sound better when I say “lament”?).
After my hitting the wall experience, I met with my mentor and we talked through it a bit. It is nice to have someone to listen to me – no judgement, just listen. Then she confirmed what I knew I needed to be doing – focus on God and who he is, not my situation. This is what I knew that I needed to do, and also knew that I needed to create a habit of praise and thanksgiving. Combining this with the format of the lament is powerful!
A lament of Jill
To God, my comforter and refuge.
You have proven yourself faithful through the ages
I am lonely,
tired of working from home,
burned out with COVID,
andI miss my family.
I trust your sovereignty and that you are not surprised with a pandemic, and that you care for my family and know their needs.
I plead with you to end the pandemic so that I may return to work with my colleagues and visit my aging parents.
As I continue to seek you and find my refuge in you, you will continue to comfort me.
I praise you for your unfailing love, you are my refuge, my comforter and hiding place.
If you find yourself in the same boat – give it a try and see how you feel afterwards!