I long to bear to sorrows of those I love, but I know that I would be stealing something important from them if I did. Looking back on my own life, I confess I have learned much more from the challenges and griefs then I have from beautiful sunrises or exquisite art or delightful music.
I wish I were the sort of person who embraces that beautiful sunrise with a passion to embrace God more intentionally but, frankly, I'm much better at doing that when I'm terrified that I am , or someone I love is, hanging over the cliff of bad choices or the crushing consequences or what seemed at the time like small errors. And under that cliff are all the people who love the person hanging there, some aware of the danger and others thinking the shade is refreshing. But either way, they are about to be on the receiving end of the fall out from someone else's back choices.
Since about anyone can make such an error at any time (some far more spectacularly than others) it is tempting to simply not care about anyone all that much. But that is insuring an empty existence. So we consider only loving the "worthy" and then when the inevitable error comes from them the damage is compounded by unrealistic expectations of perfection in another. Or the truly big deal, when we fall on our own noses, fail to come up to our own expectations and cause harm to those we most long to protect, which then causes us to believe we are unworthy.
Nope, the only real answer is to remember this precious verse from Psalm 24:18: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Because life has bumps and pings and it also has gouges and smash-ups but God is prepared, even when we are not. God gives us people with ideas and book with lessons and small bumps all of which help us be ready when the smash-ups come, whether they are blow-back from someone we love or if we have messed-up our own selves.
God is big enough for any mess, challenge, change, disasters, horrors, dust-ups or blow-ups. God has you in the palm of His hand like a tiny chick to be tended and caressed and loved. Once God has helped you back on your feet you will be called to take all you have learned and experienced and put it to work helping others who are fragile, frightened or in pain. Their pain may be of a different ilk, but pain is pain and once we know how God manages that for us, it is a joy to be part of the work of helping others find they have access to that same healing and hope.
Are you brokenhearted today and crushed in spirit? God longs to tend and and caress and love you in healing ways. Start a conversation with God today and the Spirit of God will embrace you as you begin a journey of a lifetime.
I wish I were the sort of person who embraces that beautiful sunrise with a passion to embrace God more intentionally but, frankly, I'm much better at doing that when I'm terrified that I am , or someone I love is, hanging over the cliff of bad choices or the crushing consequences or what seemed at the time like small errors. And under that cliff are all the people who love the person hanging there, some aware of the danger and others thinking the shade is refreshing. But either way, they are about to be on the receiving end of the fall out from someone else's back choices.
Since about anyone can make such an error at any time (some far more spectacularly than others) it is tempting to simply not care about anyone all that much. But that is insuring an empty existence. So we consider only loving the "worthy" and then when the inevitable error comes from them the damage is compounded by unrealistic expectations of perfection in another. Or the truly big deal, when we fall on our own noses, fail to come up to our own expectations and cause harm to those we most long to protect, which then causes us to believe we are unworthy.
Nope, the only real answer is to remember this precious verse from Psalm 24:18: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Because life has bumps and pings and it also has gouges and smash-ups but God is prepared, even when we are not. God gives us people with ideas and book with lessons and small bumps all of which help us be ready when the smash-ups come, whether they are blow-back from someone we love or if we have messed-up our own selves.
God is big enough for any mess, challenge, change, disasters, horrors, dust-ups or blow-ups. God has you in the palm of His hand like a tiny chick to be tended and caressed and loved. Once God has helped you back on your feet you will be called to take all you have learned and experienced and put it to work helping others who are fragile, frightened or in pain. Their pain may be of a different ilk, but pain is pain and once we know how God manages that for us, it is a joy to be part of the work of helping others find they have access to that same healing and hope.
Are you brokenhearted today and crushed in spirit? God longs to tend and and caress and love you in healing ways. Start a conversation with God today and the Spirit of God will embrace you as you begin a journey of a lifetime.
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