Isn’t it a bit unsettling how the wheels can fall off life so quickly and without warning? It is tremendously easy just to roll day to day in our regular routines and habits, developing a false sense of security that tomorrow will be the same as yesterday. Logically, we know that isn’t reality, but it is still effortless to take an extended period of rut and routine for granted. And I am the first to admit I love my periods of being in a rut. I relish the comfort of the sameness.

Here is one of the biggest problems with an unexpected crisis or trials happening in our personal lives our career responsibilities don’t stop. And these days, it is more common than not that we are carrying a heavy workload no matter our occupation or field.

So how do we navigate the sudden juggling of having to be removed from handling our career responsibilities with personal grief, loss, or anxiety-filled distractions? My first instinct is to yell, “I have NO idea!” But I guess after the past few years of events such as facing the near-death of my son and the diagnosis of a life-long disease, losing our home in a fire, and recently burying my mother after a painful hospice stay, I have learned a few things.

 

1. Take a deep breath and be encouraged. You are stronger than you give yourself credit. But more importantly, you serve a Father who is strong when you are weak. Don’t buy into that falsity of the saying, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” That is not in scripture, and in fact, we learn from Paul that the opposite is the truth as it is where we see God’s glory through our weakness.
   Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12 about the thorn in his flesh and his unanswered pleas for God to take it away. It was then that God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) You will make it through your hardship because you have God’s power carrying you when you are not strong enough.

 

2. Pray and pray some more. When we are juggling more than we can keep hold of and our time is more stretched than usual, the easiest thing to take off our schedules is time to pray and rest in God’s presence. I am most guilty of this. I procrastinate my quiet time only to get caught up in the frantic coping of the crisis at hand. Before I know it, the entire day has passed without me sitting in God’s presence.
   If we can discipline ourselves, even for just five focused minutes, to prioritize and hold time with God as the most vital appointment we have that day, we will be transformed. We will walk out of it with a lighter burden, renewed energy to face what is ahead, and wisdom to make the tough decisions.
   I can’t stress enough how this time will energize and strengthen your heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. I love the NLT translation of Philippians 4:6-7. It says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

 

3. Communicate with your boss and your colleagues. Your employer will often understand when things happen beyond your control and want to support you however they can. It is essential to share the facts of our circumstances without added drama the best we can. Doing this will allow your boss to assess the situation from a business perspective and know how to help ease your workload or how much time you may need away from the office. If your crisis is ongoing, but you are unsure of the timeline yourself, simply keep them in the loop, again with a factual take.
   If you have deadlines you are in danger of missing or will need help with, communicate this to your boss and co-workers who can help or may be affected by your absence. Most people will want to pitch in and support you and your responsibilities however they can. Co-workers don’t need to know every detail of what you are going through, but it is important to explain your current situation clearly and tell them precisely what tasks you could use help with.

 

4. Do your best to keep your emotions in check. Man, that is easier said than done. However, we are professionals and paid to perform our assigned tasks. It isn’t unusual to feel out of sorts or foggy-minded and robotic when dealing with a tragedy or loss. Maybe you’ve been served divorce papers or have a major crisis with one of your children, and you have a mixed bag of emotions ranging from anger to fear to disbelief flowing through you every minute of every hour. All those feelings can be hard to contain, and as a result, they overflow in an angry rant or dramatic breakdown.
   While it is imperative to have a safe place to release these emotions, we don’t want to be the soap opera discussion at the water cooler. If you are working in the office in the midst of your circumstances, take breaks when needed, and find ways to release some stress before and after work to care for your mental health. And if you need it, take time off to care for yourself. There is no shame in needing time to handle a crisis, mourn a loss, or care for your own mental well-being. You will make it through the valley, and I want you to come out on the other side physically, mentally, and spiritually cared for.

 

5. Embrace the benefit of work to give your mind a rest. Sometimes our work can be such a blessing to our minds because it gives us something else to think about other than the trial we are battling. The more we focus on something, the more prominent it becomes. If we have a concern, the more we dwell on it, the deeper our anxiety grows. The first thing a doctor will tell a patient waiting on test results for a potential disease is to stay off the internet. “Don’t go searching up your symptoms online.”
   Our minds seem especially gifted at conjuring up worse case scenarios or dwelling on things we can’t control or change. Outside of prayer, our work can provide the greatest source of a mental break from our worries. Give yourself permission to lay all those emotions aside for a bit and think about something different. Don’t feel guilty for focusing on something else for a while when you are in the depths of grief or anxiety. One of the biggest blessings my relationship with God has allowed me is the ability to say to Him, “I don’t even know how to pray about this, but at least for now, I am going to lay it in Your Hands and focus on work. Thank you for giving me a suitable distraction and mental reprieve.”
   This morning, a widow told me that she felt guilty for going back to work so soon after her husband passed, but she needed to keep busy. And she worried that other people would judge her or say she didn’t care enough about losing her husband. Unfortunately, mean people will be mean regardless of your choices. We all handle grief and stress and hurt differently. We process things at a different pace, and no one way is better than the other. Allow God to give you peace about what is best for you and your timing and needs.

 

If you are going through a rough season, please let us pray with you. Our team meets every Tuesday morning to pray over needs and it is a privilege to partner with you in prayer.

 

Thank you for being a part of our UBW community. You matter to God, and you matter to us.