Faithfull Utterances: Slowing Down to Stop

By Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew
Columnist 

Lately, I think we have all been overwhelmed by Zoom meetings. It seems as if we are busier than we were before and as a result, I find that more people are drained and exhausted. Even in being confined in our homes, we are rushed. We are eating shorter lunches to make room for more calls. We are going to bed later, getting up earlier. Even as the world has paused for the pandemic, our pivoting has caused panic. We are trying to keep up on an unending wheel that continues to pick up speed. Most people I talk to are overwhelmed, struggling, and for one friend, less motivated than before. During this season, we must be mindful of our own mental health and the toll that it takes to deal with the uncertainty of an unknown assailant—the virus—as well as the racial injustice that we continue to witness along with the Census, upcoming elections and being confined to our homes. It is a lot to process and there is so much that we do not understand. There is a young entertainer who recently posted that she could no longer take the isolation and lack of intimacy and wanted things to be done.

Many saw it as a cry for help and others viewed it as a suicide note. It is troubling to see the impact this is having on all ages. Young people are no longer able to enjoy the social aspects of school and college as they were before. Our seniors are isolated from family and friends. Those who are single are also alone often without visitors for months. We were designed to be in community and wired for relationships. For those who are not disconnected because our work continues to create more meetings, calls, emails, text messages, and social media inboxing, we can feel like we are on all the time. Our downtime is oversaturated with reading Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms that slowly distract us and take time away from those things that really pour back into us. In this season, there are those of us who are losing ourselves. Luke 8:43-48 says, “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”” Metaphorically, many of us are bleeding out and if we are not clear about who we should seek, we will go to so many remedies that the world will give to us that we will never be healed. We seek out comfort in ways that are temporary fixes, never offering real peace and restoration. You must be willing to own your need and take the risk to seek what God has for you and that is only by reaching out to Him. For others, we are daily pouring into others, not recognizing that for every person that pulls at us, power leaves us, too. Jesus knew that and rejuvenated himself by getting away with those closest to Him and other times, by being in solitude and in prayer. Even in the midst of COVID with so many distractions and issues that we face, there is healing available. All we need to do is ask. Read 2 Chronicles 7:14. Slow down, seek God, and He will heal you, and show you the way to restoration.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the author of three books for women. Her upcoming Podcast, The Tapestry, airs on Society Bytes Radio on Mondays at 1 pm CST. To listen, visit https://www.drfroswa.com/TapestryPodcast/. To connect to or learn more about Dr. Froswa’, visit drfroswa.com.