Powerlessness

5 Apr

Sure you’re powerless, sure you’re just one person, sure you can’t change anything, but you don’t have to be miserable about it as well. ~ Lydia Lunch

Things have been getting quite chaotic around the parish the past few days.  This happens every year about this time of Lent.  Easter has a certain pull of its own, like the gravitational pull of planets, and when you get near to the day, it seems to pull the other days into a faster direction.  Compound that with extra activities and one can feel quite stressed.

Add to that stress our loss of power yesterday afternoon.  Thankfully, it was after school.  All I could think of was, “There’s a penance service tonight!”  But, then, a panic began to hit me.  The reason for that was because we had half power.  We had lost a phase of our power rather than the whole thing.  When we lose just one phase, bigger motors such as on our heating system and the big freezers in our cafeteria can burn up as they try to spin up to full power.

There was frantic running around the building physically shutting off power switches so nothing would burn up.

And then I thought, “Powerless is an awful state of being.”  It is.  When we find ourselves powerless, we become stressed.  We can even become frantic.  We can try to “go through the motions” but find nothing there, nothing grounding us, nothing motivating us.

In that state of being, we are in danger of shutting down and quitting.

That is where a soul often finds itself at this time of Lent.  With Easter being so close, we have gone through many weeks of Lent.  Our giving things up and our adding spiritual things to our daily routine may have made us tired.  We might be asking ourselves, “Why should I continue?  Why don’t I just give up?  I’ve got nothing left to give.  I’m powerless.”

That is precisely where we need to be at this time of Lent.

It is in recognizing our powerlessness that we can turn to the one who has the power to change all things, including our lives:  God.

If you are frantic, stressed, nervous, tired, depressed, or out-of-sorts because you are powerless, ask the Lord for aid.  He’s got the power and He wants to help.  He’s just waiting for the invitation.

FAITH ACTION:  When you find yourself powerless, ask God to give you the strength and grace that you need to rely upon His help.