Well, welcome back to another edition and of the podcast, Struggling Well. We're glad you've joined us. you know, You know, last week you heard us with our hundth recorded podcast and we do those sometimes in advance. We do them all in advance usually. And so we didn't mention the disaster that struck western North Carolina. It's now been almost 2 weeks since that hurricane Helen ripped through western North Carolina and it has left a lot of devastation and we just didn't want to ignore that. And Suzi has some things she wants to say this morning in light. of that devastation.
It wasn't just western North Carolina. I mean, Florida got hit, Georgia got hit, Tennessee, North Carolina. Is there a missing? There's a lot of places that have experienced the devastation, right?
But where we have a special heartbeat for the mountains of North Carolina. And so for us, the fact that we were actually up there and we were in a sub area of where everything occurred. So we got wind and lots of rain and trees falling down and some impassible roads, but we did not experience the full devastation of what happened. But it has led both of us to think a lot about devastation. And there's all different kinds of devastation, but in particular, we're seeing a lot of just catastrophic events and we're seeing them worldwide. We're seeing them nationwide. We're obviously seeing them statewide. But they're also happening in our homes. There's catastrophic events in our homes. And it's hard to escape the news, let alone just what's going on in your own home. Part of the problem, we've spoken about this before, is 247 news feed. And babe, you and I often times laugh, not in a hysterical laugh way, but not in a funny way, but looking at some of the things that make it to the news that just because everyone's so hungry for something that's going on. do you find yourself reading the news a lot? I mean, what's your
I've gotten away from reading it because I can only handle so much and I while some of these events are heartbreaking that take place in other states, other parts around the world, I don't have the capacity to handle all that.
Yeah. And news is important. we do need to be aware of what's going on. However, I'm wondering if the onslaught of information and then the ensuing anxiety and hopelessness it produces what is what God designed for us as his beloved creation. I think the scripture gives us guidelines, lots of guidelines as to what God wants us to carry and how we're supposed to live. And Jimmy, you just said it. We're not designed to carry everything. You know, just looking through Instagram and looking at the pictures of different places, you know, from Florida all the way up to see incredible destruction that happened. It got hard. I could feel myself and I still feel a low blue spirit of how do we recover from this? How do people recover from that? But here's what I have to remember and I hope that this is some help to you all. And that is that when we were in sin, a different kind of devastation, but when we were in sin, we could not save ourselves. And we still can't save our elves and this situation that has occurred and there's more to be had in the future. It's just the way it is. we cannot save ourselves from those catastrophes. but what does God want us to do? That's the hard part. you and I have talked a lot about what can we do? Do we get in the car? Do we ride to a you know an area that needs help? And what have you thought about that?
Well, I think you do what God places on your heart to do. I mean, there are organizations that are geared and designed towards bringing relief into these disaster areas. Organizations like Samaritan's Purse, organizations like the JARS organization. there are countless number of things that you can give your monies to help. And if you want to bring up supplies and you can get up there, there are drop off points for those things. So, there are tangible ways to be the hand and feet of Jesus to care for people. And I think you do what God places on your heart.
Yeah. I think that God does con continually convict and challenge us to be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is leading us to do. And if God calls you to action, then obey. Do what he's asked you to do. But remember, we are each responsible as believers for that nudge from the Holy Spirit. So what's really hard is thinking every one should do a certain thing. We have let the Holy Spirit lead you and your friends and your family to do what he's asked you to do. because the question always is out there is do you know what God is asking of you before you tell someone else what they should do? Do you know where he's moving you to action and what he's moving you to do? So as you are feeling the weight of this devastation across all these states and the multiple fatalities and recoveries that are our minds can't even handle the devastation. make sure as a follower of Christ that you are truly following Jesus in this. but in light of the devastation being so widespread, it brought me to a place of thinking there's a lot of weariness in people right now. I was at a wedding recently and talked to a couple of women, women I've known for decades and really admire and respect. these women and both of them said how tired they were and how overwhelmed they felt. And so with all that's happening in the world, the political arena, the worldwide with wars and rumors of wars and weather devastation, all that, the word that kept coming into my mind was the word overwhelm. And I think we use that word a lot. Oh, I'm overwhelmed at home. I'm overwhelmed at my job. So, because I love words, you know that to be true, don't you, Jimmy?
Yes, I do.
I do. I have notebooks. Oh, this is really geeky, but I have notebooks with vocabulary words and I go and look at them periodically so I can see how I can use them in a sentence because I love words. So, I looked up the word overwhelm and this is what it means. This is the Webster dictionary definition of overwhelm. To be overwhelmed is to bury something or to drown beneath a huge mass. Does that fit where you're at? To feel defeated complet completely overthrown, overcome, overpowered in your thoughts or your feelings. And the synonym for it, which I think puts it all in perspective, is a feeling of being crushed. And I would say that a lot of people are feeling overwhelmed. Imagine the rescue workers and the people that are the responders that have gone right away up to the mountains and to Florida and wherever the devastation has occurred. They feel, I'm sure, over whelmed. So when we feel that overwhelm overwhelmingness, it causes us often times to feel like why weren't we prepared? I've spoken with a lot of people about this whole hurricane Helen. And so many people have said to me, "What did we miss? Why weren't we prepared?" And it what it does is it makes us think, "Well, next time I'm going to be more prepared. I'm going to have sandbags. I'm going to have a generator. I'm going to do whatever. Babe, what has stirred inside of you with all this devastation?
I mean, I think it's beyond my control. I mean, so I understand the need for preparedness, but I also think you can't control what's going to happen. And so, even in that preparedness, will you ever fully get there? I don't think so.
I have a friend who recently told me they have a go bag. Now, I have no idea I had no idea what a go bag was, but apparently we all need one. And it's not a silly idea, but what it does is it reveals that we feel like we are self- sustaining. That if I could figure this out, if I have a go bag, if I have those gallon things filled with food for 3 months, again, not a bad idea, but it makes us think that we can sustain ourselves. And so, we try to plan ahead with that. And we rely on our plans. If I have the generator and the matches and everything that we need. But the problem is unexpected circumstances come with shocking quickness. I mean I don't think anyone could have foreseen for yeah foreseen I like that word how much water would be moving at what rate it would be moving. and so we can wear ourselves out thinking that we can prepare and prepare. you all remember why 2K remember how everything was going to stop and there's some of us well I say us not me really cuz I'm not a prepared person but that we're stocking up in case the world kind of went blank again not a bad idea but not when that is where everything that you have falls on that preparedness. So in light of that I want to know what scripture says and the Lord took me to 2 Corinthians and Paul writes this verse that we all know really, really well. It says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So right now in the midst of these days, these days of fear and catastrophic weather and loss, wars between nations, wars in our streets, how do we survive? How are we to not fall into a pit of despair and depression and shake our fists at God? I believe we have to go back to the word of God and they are not just platitudes and God is not some faroff image of you know whatever you think God looks like. God is real. He's with us. He's near and we need to search for him and to know him more fully and obey him more completely. That will sustain us. And I just want to end with one quote by a gal named Ruth Chow Simmons and she's a prolific writer. writer and a beautiful artist. And this is what she says. She says, "God never stops sustaining. He never stops strengthening, caring, providing, guarding, upholding, supporting, protecting, leading, sheltering, rescuing, comforting, preserving. He never stops sustaining because he's created us to never not need him." I think those are beautiful and true words. And you kind of just listen to this Suzi podcast and I apologize Jimmy for if you want to say goodbye. I'm kidding.
No, have a great week.