Stop the World I Want to Get Off

In 1966 a film version of the British Musical "Stop the World I Want to Get Off" was released. Given the content of the story and the fact that I was 10 years old at the time, I'm pretty sure I never saw this film. I've always remembered the title though. Being a pretty literal person, I always thought the title was silly. If the world stops, where is there to get off? I can honestly say that stopping the world and getting off has never been something I wish could happen.

I do admit though, that many many many times in my adulthood I have wished that the rest of the world would stop and I could keep going. Not forever. Just for a few hours so I could catch up. Or so that I could rest. Or so that I could take a deep breath and regroup.

There is just so much going on. And with all of the technological advances instead of having more time for ourselves we have less. This will not come as news to any of you, but being available 24/7/365 is exhausting. It seems like we never have time for thought. We never experience quiet. Indeed, quiet has now become something that makes us uneasy instead of refreshing us.

So last night as I began my last prayer of the day the phrase "stop the world I want to get off" entered my mind. I smiled and realized that I really meant "can the rest of you come to a standstill so I can have a moment to refresh". Or at least get a handle on all of the things/people I need to pray for. A friend with major financial problems. A friend who is job hunting. Two friends starting new jobs yesterday. A family member who had a mental breakdown and is hospitalized. A family member with kid problems. A friend with marital issues. Five acquaintances with cancer. A family member struggling with addiction. And the list goes on and on.

I know this reads like a downer post. That is not my intention. I just want to share with you that during the times that I feel overwhelmed, thank goodness I always (eventually) remember that I do not have to take on all of the situations I'm praying for. My responsibility is to pray for them, not fix them. I am not supposed to be consumed with the problems of the world. I am supposed to share love, empathy, encouragement, and support. I am supposed to remind people that God is bigger than any problem we have. I am supposed to debunk the myth that whatever they are going through is insurmountable. The lie that no one else has EVER had a problem as big, or as bad, or as crushing as theirs. To remind them that God is by their side. To assure them they are not alone and that I am willing to come alongside them and support them in any way I can.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.