It’s Tuesday and it’s Holy Week for those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ. And because of the situation stretching all across the globe, we are struggling.
We struggle with knowing what news reports to believe when there seem to be so many conflicting stories on the airwaves and internet.
We struggle with emotions as we hear how many thousands of souls have perished and how many thousands are sick with this vile virus.
We struggle with moments of fear and maybe even panic wondering if/when the pandemic will hit our hometown and worse, our families and friends.
We struggle with self-isolating, physical distancing, being still, and decisions whether to wear masks or not.
We struggle with loneliness caused by orders to stay home, self-isolate, shelter in place, flatten the curve.
We struggle with selfishness and hoarding.
We struggle with job losses for some and worry over the health of those essential workers who must continue to work.
We struggle because instead of enjoying fellowship in our houses of worship with other believers, we sit in front of our computers alone listening to our pastors’ messages online.
In the last couple of weeks, we all have struggled and it looks like we will continue for some time before this crisis is over.
Personally, I’ve tried to stay positive while staying home. I try to encourage others through this blog, on social media, through text messages, FaceTime, and phone calls. But I too have struggled.
I’ve fought surrendering to a waterfall of tears as I witnessed our nurse daughter succumb to sadness and – to be perfectly honest – a bit of fear when forced by these circumstances to place her 5-year-old child with us, the grandparents, for the duration of this crisis.
Because her hospital has COVID-19 patients, our daughter chose to protect her child and us, her parents well over 60, because we are caregivers for our granddaughter while Daughter works.
Our daughter is concerned that she might expose us and in order to protect us, she separated indefinitely from her child. Not something any loving mother ever envisions having to do willingly.
Watching my daughter shed tears as she held tightly to her child when she left for work that day was heart-wrenching. Little One knows there are “bad germs” out there making people very sick and her mommy must do her part to help care for them.
Daughter, a nurse for over 10 years now, has never been afraid to work in a hospital setting until now. But she believes she is called by God to do her job. To help those who need it most. To ease people’s suffering and give comfort and care.
I struggle watching her selflessness amidst a world with so many who are selfish. I don’t think I could be as self-sacrificing as my daughter is and I even struggle with that fact.
We all struggle throughout this time yet that is what life entails in the fallen world in which we live.
Struggle. And it is real. And it’s gut-wrenching. And it breaks our hearts.
Yet…it is Tuesday. It is Holy Week. And as I prepare my heart and mind to celebrate Resurrection Sunday this weekend, I also remember my Savior praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
God with us in human form, He too struggled with willingly suffering and dying on the cross in my place as the perfect atonement for sins. (You can read this account in a copy of the Bible or even online in Matthew 26:36-42 and Mark 14:32-36.)
Jesus knows exactly how we struggle. He experienced it himself. Luke 22:44 tells me that as Jesus prayed in that garden, knowing what He would face in the days to come, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
So I run to Him, my Savior who understands all my emotions and anguish, and I place all of my struggles, worries, and cares in His capable hands. In doing so, I will not struggle to find aspects of life for which to be thankful. There is much for which to be grateful even now.
My Thankful Tuesday is dedicated to all the amazing healthcare workers sacrificing their own health and safety for those who need them most. I am thankful for each one of them.
My Thankful Tuesday is dedicated to the gifted and motivated medical researchers working so diligently for treatments and vaccines. I am grateful for them.
My thankfulness extends as well to all the essential workers who place their own safety on the line for the sake of others, for us. Those grocery store, pharmacy, and banking workers, the truck drivers who haul supplies from one end of the country to another, to the countless and often forgotten cleaning people at hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices.
You are all heroes in my eyes and I pray that God keeps you safe and well. I am thankful for each and every one of you.
I am thankful that even though my daughter and my grandchild are physically separated during this time, they can see and talk to one another through technology – FaceTime.
I’m also thankful for something as simple as the glass in our front storm door. Daughter can come to our house, sit outside on our front porch on one side of the physical barrier while our granddaughter is on the inside of the door. They smile at one another, they talk, they even play made-up pretend games, and they laugh.
It makes all of our hearts glad and thankful.
It is Thankful Tuesday of Holy Week and I will not struggle to express gratitude this week nor in the weeks beyond.
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” ~ Epictetus
©2020 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
Mama's Empty Nest 
God bless your daughter for her tremendous sacrifice. Hard on you too as her Mama but He will carry all of you through. Your little one is fortunate to have you and your husband as loving grandparents.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words. The longer this goes on, the more difficult it is. Even though she gets to see and talk to her Mom through FaceTime and through the glass front door, our Little One still misses her because they can’t touch, hug, or give kisses. She understands there is a “bad sickness” and “bad germs” out there and that’s why she can’t be with her mom (and her dad either who lives in another state and also is a medical professional at a hospital), but for a five-year-old, this seems like it’s “forever” – her words, not mine. Be safe, be well, be blessed, my blogging friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh it’s so true that for little ones it seems much longer of a wait. She’s so precious. Thank you and continued blessings to your family.
LikeLike
My prayers are with you, your daughter and family in these troubled times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Andrew. I truly appreciate your prayers. Be safe, be well, be blessed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish your daughter and you didn’t have to go through this and I pray it’s all worth it and helps bring the numbers down like we all hope. Beautiful post and praying for you all and for your beautiful daughter and granddaughter
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your prayers. We hope and pray this crisis is over soon and that all of us who are “flattening the curve” make a big difference.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is a special place in Heaven for people like your daughter, who are putting their own health at risk to care for others. Bless her and others like her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Margo. I know that I could never fill her shoes. Nursing would not be a choice I ever would have made so I know that those who choose that profession truly are called to it.
LikeLike
Aw…… such a heartfelt post…. God bless your daughter; I cannot imagine how difficult this must be on all of you. I pray that it’s all over soon. There’s a country song: “Monsters”, and the chorus keeps playing in my mind: “Anymore, when a restless spirit keeps me up at night, falling on my knees is my new turning on the light. I keep my faith intact, make sure my prayers are said. ‘Cause I’ve learned that the monsters ain’t the ones beneath the bed.” You may have seen that on one of my FB posts, but I think it is so apt for this situation. Take care, stay well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the words to that song, Dianna. Thank you for sharing it with me. You two take care and stay well also.
LikeLike
A sincere thank you to your daughter and all the other health care workers. This is such a scary time for so many and I am sure she is so grateful to have a safe place for Little One to be while she works. It does not seem like Holy Week no matter how hard I try –it is just weird. I am watching all the online services, devotionals, etc but it is just odd without being in the physical church with people. But God will be right there where we are and that is all that matters. Thanks for a lovely post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree it’s difficult to believe it’s Holy Week. It does feel weird no matter what we do. Not being with fellow believers in person does impact us more than we think.
LikeLike