Tami Kiser shares a strategy for surviving that overwhelmed feeling.
We’ve all been there. Where? Wits’ End.
Of course after coming up with this title for this article I had to ask myself, “Where did that expression come from?” Obviously I didn’t have a lot of wit about me, because I was thinking it was named after a place called Wit. I even spelled it incorrectly with an “h” after the “w” -- like Whit. But it’s like it sounds. It means when you don’t have any more “wits” about you. With a short google search, most of the responses say this combination of words “being at wits’ end” came originally from a poem in Old English, and searching more deeply, we find it in a King James Version translation of Psalm 107:27: “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.”
So, have you ever been at wits’ end? Or felt like you were well on your way to getting there?
I can honestly say that this feeling of overwhelm, tiredness, and frustration creeps up on me often. For me that’s what wits’ end is. It feels like having too much to do, not knowing what to do next, feeling inadequate in what you’re trying to do, and finally, letting your family and other people down.
I honestly battle with this daily.
But thank God (literally) that we have a powerful friend who cares so deeply for us, that we needn’t worry about anything. God loves us intimately and will help us through any mess we have, even if we’ve brought it on ourselves.
I forget this.
In the last few months, there have been many opportunities for me to head to wits’ end. Coronavirus aside, I moved, started a new business, and dealt with a flood of family drama. “Wits’ End here I come!”
Like many of us during this imposed “cloistered life” during the shelter in place mandate, I used some of that time for prayer, spiritual reading, online Catholic conferences, and uplifting podcasts. These were very helpful. But the one action I did that I think kept me most sane was simply praying the Litany of Trust with my husband every night before bed.
Of course praying this anytime by yourself is very powerful, but praying it accompanied by someone is even more consoling. If you don’t pray with your spouse before bed and would like to start, this is a very simple way to do that.
It is a prayer composed by one of the Sisters of Life, Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, SV. I first came across it in the book edited by Catholic Mom writers, Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet, My Friend Faustina. There’s a whole chapter in there by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia and her encounter with St. Faustina. This beautiful litany is included there.
So when you find yourself headed to wits’ end, begin reading this prayer below. Or better yet, start praying this prayer to avoid that dreaded place!
Litany of Trust
From the belief that I have to earn Your love
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that I am unlovable
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the false security that I have what it takes
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute
Deliver me, Jesus.
From all suspicion of Your words and promises
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You
Deliver me, Jesus.
From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will
Deliver me, Jesus.
From anxiety about the future
Deliver me, Jesus.
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past
Deliver me, Jesus.
From restless self-seeking in the present moment
Deliver me, Jesus.
From disbelief in Your love and presence
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being asked to give more than I have
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of what love demands
Deliver me, Jesus.
From discouragement
Deliver me, Jesus.
That You are continually holding me,sustaining me, loving me
Jesus, I trust in You.
That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings and transforms me
Jesus, I trust in You.
That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You are with me in my suffering
Jesus, I trust in You.
That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church
Jesus, I trust in You.
That Your plan is better than anything else
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You give me all the strength
I need for what is asked
Jesus, I trust in You.
That my life is a gift
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You will teach me to trust You
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You are my Lord and my God
Jesus, I trust in You.
That I am Your beloved one
Jesus, I trust in You.
Written by the Sisters of Life
The one thing that kept me most sane was simply praying the Litany of Trust each night #catholicmom
Copyright 2020 Tami Kiser
Image: Keenan Constance (2019), Pexels
About the Author
Tami Kiser
Tami Kiser is a wife, mother, teacher, author, and speaker. She runs a video production studio featuring Catholic speakers. These can be purchased or viewed on Formed. She also is the co-owner and host of a new Catholic Retreat and Cultural Center in the Carolina Mountains called Heart Ridge. She has taught everything from NFP, Zumba, cleaning toilets, Catholic crafting, the hula, bullet journaling, tap dancing, and liturgical living to Saxon Math 54 for the 10th time.
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