Windows of refreshment

By Jeff Becraft

There are windows in life.

Sometimes circumstances can become overwhelming in life. It can be severe things… or maybe even little things that all start to add up. That’s where it can become overwhelming.

When my wife was pregnant with our youngest child, she was extremely, extremely sick. In fact, she lost 18 pounds in just two weeks. They finally had to hook her up to a TPN machine, which went into her arm and down into her stomach, and that would pump in this kind of milkshake looking stuff. She spent all day on the couch. If she even moved a little bit, she would feel extremely nauseous and like she had to yang. It was a very difficult time. There were all kinds of people from our church who would help out and bring us meals and what not.

She would tell me, though, about how God would give her windows. Every once in a while, there would be a window of refreshment in that suffering.

Now, I have never suffered like my wife did. I mean, this went on for months… it was not just a couple of weeks. I’ve never suffered like she has, but there are times when life becomes overwhelming, and in those times, it’s good to look for those windows.

I remember one time with the whole covid thing, where several family members had covid, and I was dodging the covid and trying to help out as much as I could.

Just being able to go into some safe space and take the mask off was a huge window of refreshment.

One time, I went out and got a hamburger. Just sitting in my car with the windows down and eating lunch… man, that was just so refreshing. Getting outside, getting the mask off, eating at a place that I really liked – it was a window. And those windows of refreshment can be very important.

So, if circumstances are starting to add up, look for a window. It may be just a very simple thing, but those refreshments for our soul can be extremely important.

It’s a great day to have a great day!

Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope and the Director Emeritus for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. Our Place of Hope is a paradigm shift for people living with mental illness that encourages them to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. You can connect with Jeff at  jbecraft4TN@gmail.com.