Bracing for Impact
I don’t know if this title resonates with anyone else, but I have often operated in a perpetual state of ‘bracing for impact’. It’s exhausting. I sleep with one eye open and one ear to the ground, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The toughest challenge is when my kids are facing unknown difficulties. I watch helplessly from the sidelines waiting for resolution. How will this end? When will this end? Will it turn out well, or will we have to walk through the valley of trauma again? As a Jesus Follower, why am I not exempt from this sort of journey? Many years ago, when our late son-in-law was still alive, I was in a constant state of ‘bracing for impact’. He was battling mental illness and addictions. Our daughter and their boys were dealing with the fall-out of his choices and behaviour. Addiction is not a choice. One does not wake up one morning and decide, “Today I’m going to become an addict”. It begins with a choice but eventually gains the upper-hand and choi