I don’t have the strength.

I don’t have the strength for this pandemic.
To wear the mask
To socially distance
To sanitize my hands
This is no existence
I don’t have the strength.

I don’t have the strength for this election
To watch the news
To feel the hate
To choose between two evils
And then count votes and wait
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength for another funeral
To say another goodbye
To attend another wake
To see another coffin
And follow it to the grave
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to face paying my bills
To wait for my next paycheck
To be afraid to open the mail
To somehow make it all balance
Yet feel like I’ve failed
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to stay in this marriage
To fight the same fights
To do it until death do us part
To try and make two of us feel loved
It’s gonna take more than just my heart
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength for another medical procedure
To get another plastic bracelet
To wear another gown
To await more test results
At some point you just stay down
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to deal with these children
To yell and scream any more
To watch them make the same mistake
To try and protect them from the world and themselves
My patience has run out, I’m seriously gonna break
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to face another day living alone
To talk out loud to no reply
To cook another meal for one
To long for a simple touch or hug
Which friend is going to call about Thanksgiving? I don’t know… maybe none.
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to beat this addiction
To overcome the constant temptation
To face my demons and win
To deal with the source of my brokenness
It’s not as simple as just telling me not to do it again
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to go back to my job
To put up with my boss
To clock in for another day of the same
To spend a career doing something that feels meaningless
Is just hanging on until retirement really the name of the game
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to deal with my aging parents
To watch them grow dependent
To see their minds and bodies fail
To require assistance for simply living
It’s like they bought their coffin, and handed me the first nail
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength for another day of school
To deal with that stupid teacher
To get a bad grade only after a lot of work
To sit through another boring class
And socially… I just don’t know how to deal with that one jerk
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to forgive what’s been done to me
To let them off the hook
To let my anger go
To pretend like it never happened
I hope they're hurting too and I need them to know
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength to look at myself in the mirror
To admit my guilt
To face all the shame
To see the path of my destruction
I admit it, I deserve all the blame
I don’t have the strength

I don’t have the strength… But God does… and The Lord is my strength.

The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can look at myself in the mirror
I can admit my guilt
Yet I no longer feel the shame
I know who I am
I am a Child of God, marked in baptism with His name
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can forgive what’s been done to me
I can let them off the hook
I have let my anger go
I can respond to the forgiveness I’ve been given
Jesus paid the price for their mistake, and I want them to know
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can deal with another day of school
I can represent Christ to even that teacher
I let my thanks to God motivate my work
I know my identity isn’t based on my GPA
I simply try and be faithful, and not respond as a jerk
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can deal with aging parents
I can be depended on in their dependence
I can be God’s hands and feet as their minds and bodies fail
I can remind them of the coming glory
Where restored bodies over a new earth will prevail
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can go back to my job
I can put up with my boss
I can survive another day of the same
I remember that God created me for a purpose
It’s not to seek professional fame but to proclaim His name
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can beat this addiction
I can overcome any temptation
I can face my demons and win
I know God is with me on my good days and especially on the bad
And while it’s tough to believe, Jesus died for even this sin
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can face another day living alone
I can pray out loud with no reply
I can cook a meal for someone else who needs one
I am reminded that I am never alone
I am part of a body of believers, disconnected from none
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can deal with these children
I can put up with their yells and screams one more day
I live the Gospel by forgiving their mistakes
I remember that God loves them more than I do
He has shown me that as a parent you can do whatever it takes
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can have another medical procedure
I don’t mind wearing another plastic bracelet
And from the front I actually look pretty good in the gown
If Jesus can endure the cross for me
Then I can handle being poked with needles, it’s better than nails or a thorny crown
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can stay in this marriage
I can resolve some more fights
I can even do it until death do us part
But Jesus wants more for His spouse, His bride, the Church
So I can feel him working on me, softening what may be the hardest heart
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can face paying my bills
I can earn the next paycheck
I can prepare for the late notice that’s already being sent
And while God’s not giving me what I want or when
He’s showing me how to be content
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can face another funeral
I can say another hopeful goodbye
I can show love for the family at the wake
I know what the resurrection means for us
The grave is not the end, our eternity is no longer at stake
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can face this election
I can handle the biased news
I don’t respond hate
My returning-Savior is neither a democrat or a republican
So after election day, no surprise… I will continue to wait.
The Lord is my strength

The Lord is my strength so I can survive even this pandemic
I can wear the stinky mask
I will continue to socially distance
Sanitize my already germ-free hands
Because with The Lord as my Strength, it’s not fearful living, this is a hopeful existence.

The Lord is my strength.