I'm in Your Boat
The past few months I've had lots of similar conversations with friends struggling through this current season of life. These conversations have taken place over tacos, at coffee shops, over carefully scheduled phone calls to fit each others' schedules, and around walks at Radnor Lake. The darkness comes in many forms: family issues, the diagnosis they never wanted to hear, lack of community, figuring out what's next, or putting too much pressure on themselves at work- just to name a few.
For example, today I sat across the table from my new friend Hannah (Crazy fact- until today I only knew her from Instagram. She happened to message me last night saying she'd be in Nashville for a few hours today and wondered if I'd like to meet for lunch. I immediately responded 'absolutely'). After just a few minutes of talking with Hannah, it didn't take long to realize that despite the different states the two of us currently occupy, we shared a lot of similar rough patches in life.
On a similar note, at a political forum this afternoon I discovered that despite our political ideologies, a lot of Christians in America share a common list of unspoken questions and reservations about the outcome of this Tuesday. We're all a lot more similar than we care to admit sometimes.
In short, we're all handed a lot of difficult and heavy things to carry on any given day. But the most lethal thing about it all is the lie that we're alone in it. When you realize that someone else is struggling right along with you, doesn't it make the battle much less scary?
The thing is, sometimes all it takes is hearing "I'm in the same boat" to lift what feels like an unbearable weight off a neighbor's shoulders.
Sometimes we just need friends who meet you at the park after work, where you pull up to find them sitting in the trunk of their car with the hood up, waiting with granola bars and tea because they knew you'd need it.
If you're reading this, I probably don't know all the messes you've got spilling over in your life right now. But I want you to know one thing: I'm in your boat. And I think you're a lot stronger than you believe.
Unfortunately, I can't quite reach through this screen to give you a hug or make you a cup of coffee. So per my usual fashion, I've gathered up the words and songs of some folks who share this "I'm in your boat" message. Some songs are a bit more upbeat than others, but if you listen closely you'll hear them all whisper it nonetheless: you're not alone and you're going to make it. We are all going to make it.
Listen here, sweet friends.