Childlike Optimism

A few years ago, I asked my daughter to make an Easter card for my mom. At the time, my mom was suffering through the later stages of Parkinson disease and I thought a handmade card would brighten up her nursing home room five hours away from us. 
 
Dear Nana,
    I hear you’re not doing so well so I gave my mom a stuffed animal for you.
     I hope you like it and don’t worry you are going to get through this.
            Love always,
 
The innocence of my daughter’s understanding of what was going on was so emotional for me to grasp. Domestic Violence and Faith After AbuseWas it her faith, knowing her grandmother was saved and going to heaven that was allowing her to genuinely believe her grandmother’s pain and suffering was going away? Or was it childlike optimism that allowed her to truly believe her grandmother was going to get better? It’s hard to look back and say. All I know is that tears flowed uncontrollably months later when I packed up the stuffed animal on my mother’s night stand after she passed away.  
 
I need a gigantic dose of childlike optimism right now with all that is going on in the world and my community. It saddens me so thinking of how the coronavirus is effecting victims left at home in isolation with their abusers; it pains me thinking about those who made the tough decision to get away yet are still co-parenting with their abuser during these stressful times.
 
People are losing their incomes; stress is high, food and basic supplies are not always available, children are not able to go to school, and many are going stir crazy staying home. There’s minimum hope in the news or most social media outlets. I am finding it extremely hard to find, yet alone hold on to, any long-term optimism right now.
 
See, I don’t have the childlike everything is going to get better mentality anymore. Years and years of life’s disappointments have stripped this innocent feeling from me. Yet, I am grateful that at least now I know where to find it; in my faith . The Bible tells me:

Psalms 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”Isaiah 40:31 says “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."Matthew 11:28 says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” 
I need to focus more on reading the Bible and staying in my praying stance a lot more than continuously reading the dreary news updates. I need to stay more vigilant on my community and what I can be contributing to comfort those who’s situations are significantly worse than mine is. I need to stop worrying about how I am going to get through this and instead focus on how God is going to walk me through it all.
 
I hope you will join me as I pray daily for our domestic violence sisters all over the world,
 
Sue  
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