Dear friends,
I think I made a mistake. Not a big, irreversible one, but a mistake nonetheless.
I made the mistake of oversharing. I caused people to worry unnecessarily, and for that, I am sorry.
See, the last couple weeks have been incredibly stressful. And when I get stressed, I write. I want the things I write to touch others so that they know that they’re not alone in their feelings or struggles. Anyone who looks like they have it all together is putting on a front, I promise.
And so, I wrote a couple of posts, one here and one at my mission website. I didn’t think so many people would read and respond to the things that I said.
I said I felt like giving up. And it’s true: For a time I did. And it’s also true that I felt alone and depressed.
But I forgot something. I’ve got many, many people around me who care about me and about my family. The outpouring of support and concern has been truly touching.
But please don’t worry about me.
Next time I feel like giving up, I’ll start by reaching out to people that care, people I can talk to and work through things with. I won’t start with a blog post that causes people to worry. That does a disservice to people I love.
I’m getting support and I’m doing ok. Now that I’ve had distance and time from that period, I realize just how supported I am.
I just forget sometimes.
I suppose this is just a long way of saying thank you. Thank you to all of you who have reached out and reminded me that I don’t need to struggle alone. Thank you to all the people who worried about me and took time to remind me that they care.
You may never realize just how much your compassion means. I promise it won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Coffee & Theology 