If there’s one thing that I got out of sitting in church sunday, it was the basic truth and reminder that we all have big hurts to carry and crosses to bear.
On one side of me, I had a dear friend looking for hope in the middle of an ugly divorce and on the other side, a friend sat praying after communion holding her toddler that very well could have leukemia. I had hurt sitting behind me of someone that’s buried a child and kids in front of me who have lost two classmates this year. All of this while my hearts been burning from inside to have another baby and expand our family, while God presses me to have patience and trust in His plan. I have a friend who recently miscarried, another friend who’s grieving the loss of her husband, and one more friend was just diagnosed with cancer yesterday. And that’s the short list, only naming a few friends, I could easily go on.
So. Much hurt.
Life. Is. Hard.
Today was one of many days that God smacked me in the face and opened my eyes to the fact that ‘oh my goodness, thank you JESUS for letting me know the end of the story’ ...We know how it ends. We’ve read the Bible and know how it goes
!!spoiler alert!! It ends well for us.
We have the precious gift of knowing that all of this will pass, and better and bigger things will come. We have the reassurance to know that someone sent their Son to die a brutal death, so that we can have a happy ending, if we choose to accept that someone.
So at a time where hope can seem slim for a lot of people, I found an overwhelming sense of it today. In fact, I sit prayerfully upon a peace that passes ALL understanding. While praying for those struggles, He reminded me that He is so much bigger than this earthly junk, He always has been and always will be.
He was there for Naomi when she felt abandoned and alone, He didn’t change her circumstance in the way that she wanted it changed, but the end of her story gave her hope. She had a ray of light in the driest stage of her life, she felt grief and He offered her restoration.
He was there for Paul who had many trials in his life and in those trials found strength. He had confidence in his situations even in prison when things were bleak, he dug deep and found the fruits of the spirit to encourage himself and others. After all, it was Paul who said “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
I know I have a lot of ‘favorite’ bible stories and most of them are less than ideal situations, but again, the ending is more than ideal.
A friend recently had a really hard day and was feeling unloved. So when I was talking to her I reassured her that what she’s feeling, isn’t truth, truth trumps feelings every time. And our Truth is a promise in the Bible, that He will be with us forever and will not forsake us.
2 Cor 4:8-9
We are pressed on every side
by troubles, but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed,
but not driven to despair.
We are hunted down,
but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down,
but we are not destroyed.
You know the other hidden blessing that comes with lifes letdowns and struggles ? The thing that came at the start of that book we know the ending of so well.
Community.
Remember Adam and Eve? We have the gift of community, relationship, friendship.
Friends that show up. Friends that listen and love you even when the foulest words come from your mouth out of frustrations. Friends that love you on your dark days and scary nights. Friends that show up with Kleenex and make you laugh when you’re at your worst. Friends that sit and listen. Friends that accept you where you’re at but encourage you to do better. Friends that show up when life acts like Humpty Dumpty and help put you back together again. Because we were built for community, and that’s what community does. I know I’ve been on both ends of that community, I’ve been the helper and fixer and I’ve also been the one that gets scraped off the floor.
So to my friend worrying about your baby boy, my friend that buried her husband a year ago, my friend that struggles with self love, my friend that feels lonely, to the friend that's buried her child, my friend that was told they have cancer, and even my friends that act like they have it all together but know that they don’t, be encouraged, because we know the end of the greatest story ever told.
