"Once when I was going through a dark period, I prayed and prayed but the heavens seemed to be brass. I felt as though God had disappeared. I wrote my mother about the experience and will never forget her reply: “Son, God wants you to trust Him in the darkness. Reach up by faith in the fog, and you will find His hand will be there.” In tears, I knelt by my bed and experienced an overwhelming sense of God’s presence."
Billy Graham (1982)
One of the many hats that I wear is elementary school teacher! God directed my steps toward this occupation shortly after my late husband was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, and I have gratefully worn the teaching hat for over 13 years! Not only is teaching a job that compliments many of my other hats--caregiver, mother, friend, lover of sleep--but it also offers job stability and the opportunity to build relationships among people with whom my path may not otherwise cross.
As a teacher, there is no feeling quite like the anticipation that might accompany a good night of sleep when the weather stirs up a reason for the school schedule to change. An unexpected school cancellation offers me the gift of a day at home to tackle the responsibilities of my other "hats", to recharge, and to read. That being said, I can also fully appreciate the gift of a fog delay. The extra hours within my home not only provide me with rest but also protect me from the danger of low visibility.
Fog, a gift on a school day for a teacher, does not elicit the same response from other workers. It makes getting to work difficult, causes the need for child care, delays deliveries, and serves as a factor in traffic accidents. Fog can be a blessing, but if we had to accommodate its impact daily, it would be considered a curse. It hides the warmth of the sun. It disguises the beauty of our surroundings. We are not created to experience life through the blur of that which is not easily seen.
Widow brain became my reality shortly after my late husband passed away on July 30, 2018. The fog of widow brain was very real and extremely scary. I wondered if I was losing touch with reality. My thoughts bounced around in my head as if they were the balls in a pinball machine, and a mind at rest was a vain imagination. I was confused, forgetful, and frustrated with the slow speed of my thoughts. My mind would wrestle with the questions to which my heart already knew the answer.
I knew the verse from 2 Corinthians where the Apostle Paul instructed us to take our thoughts captive, and again in Philippians where Paul instructs believers to direct their thoughts toward what is lovely, praiseworthy, or admirable. The fog of widow brain made following these wise words almost impossible. Friends, it is extremely difficult to take a thought captive when you cannot seem to catch it in the midst of brain fog. How can we fix what we cannot find? How can we fasten or secure what we cannot grasp?
So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Philippians 4:8 TPT
We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One. 2 Corinthians 10:5 TPT
Surviving brain fog is not comfortable. Moments we feel as if we have no idea who we are. We are completely lost. Waking up to an unexpected fog overwhelms our minds, emotions, spirits and leaves us sometimes feeling immobilized.
What do we do in the midst of the fog? We sit. We stay still. We remain. We look carefully. When we do move, we move slowly. We are alert and ensure that our senses are attune to our surroundings. We rest. We wait, and all the while, we hold tightly to the God who holds tightly to us. We deepen our understanding of faith. We have no choice but to embrace an attitude of being sure of what we hope for and confident of what we cannot see.
We choose to be thankful amid the fog because without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who give all their passion and strength into seeking him. (Hebrews 11:6 TPT)
Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Take minute to respond to the Holy Spirit. Trust Him in the fog. It may look like you're surrounded but you can be surrounded by Him. The choice is yours.
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