To my Christian Brothers and Sisters who are hurting...

I'm going off schedule today to write to all of you out there who, like me, have been hit hard in this season of life. 

I don't know what's grieving you; I don't know why it's striking so deeply. Pain is pain, and some of you reading this are taking a beating these days. Whether it's at home, or work, or somewhere close or far, your soul is being taxed--maybe daily, maybe hourly, maybe you're fighting to survive the next minute. And you can't wholly express how it feels, and you might not even understand why it's so rough. It just hurts. Alot. And often. Believe me, I've been there--some days I'm still there.

And I'm sure you've heard the pep talks and the platitudes and the pick-me-ups, and they may give you a glimmer of good feeling or numb you for a moment; or at this point, they may not have any affect at all. Trust me, I've been there, too. But I'm going to give you one more bit of Christian thought, and I'm going to ask you to sit with it. This won't solve your problems or make you forget them. It may even make your angry before you feel anything else. My aim is not to make you feel better, but it is tell you the truth; and maybe, just maybe, that truth will haunt your mind so when you need it most, at your breaking point, it will come to the forefront of your soul to defend you against those things trying to take what little hope you have left.

So, here goes:

Our God is the heavens; he does as he pleases. (Psalm 115:3)

Now, depending on your view of God, that can change everything. Me, I think God is good; I think he's loving, merciful, and gracious. And just. And perfect. And I think that when I am going through the ringer, he's still up there in control, and he's got the entirety of existence covered. Don't know what that means, really; and I don't think I need to know--not today, maybe not ever. But knowing the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and he is able to do whatever he chooses to do, well, that thought gives me a moment's peace, and some days, I need to make that moment last as long as I can. So I dwell on it; I sit with it. That helps me.

I hope that helps you, too. 

I'm praying for y'all tonight specifically; I'm praying for those who find this when they've needed it. I'm praying for you, that it would please God to take your heart into his hand and to mend it as he alone is able, that it would please him to bring you through this season into a warm, inviting spring. 

Thanks for reading,

C

[In this season of hardship, I've been trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to memorize Lamentations 3:21-41. Not sure why I narrowed myself to those verses, as the whole chapter is powerful and worth committing to memory--provides alot of food for thought and for worship. The passage is written by someone else whose been taking a beating, and looking to God, and feeling the pain, and looking to God again. I guess these days that's where some of us find ourselves.]