Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
-Jesus
God wants to take the weight of your pain, discouragement, frustration, and sorrow.
~~~
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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened …
… and I will give you rest.”-
-Jesus
Grief is work.
I had never thought about it like that, until I was hit with it.
Grief plunges you into an abyss. The last thing you want to do is work yourself out of that bottomless pit.
But grief is not that kind of work – trying to “get better” or to feel normal.
The work is letting yourself be taken down an unfamiliar path, and going with it when you don’t want to.
You will not feel your old self because the person you lost was part of your old self.
Put your shovel down and rest.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
-The Bible
Have you ever looked up into the sky and felt exhilaration? It’s as if a rush of fresh energy fills your body.
When trouble comes, we were made to look for the Lord.
We are not sheltered from pain, but we can go to the one who relieves our pain. Only God can give us just what we need. He made us!
Look for Him. He’s already found you.
~~~
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Have you been hurt by Christians?
Have you decided not to have anything to do with God because of this?
Or church?
Yes, people hurt people and it’s wrong.
But when I remembered how I have hurt people, too, it has helped me to put it into perspective.
God doesn’t hurt us like people hurt us.
Don’t avoid church because you might get hurt.
We have to take the bad with the good.
And there is more good than bad in church.
~~~
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Your pain may be a mental disorder.
Do you know that is no different than having diabetes?
Our bodies are not perfect.
We break.
But some people respond differently to mental disorders and it makes you feel abnormal.
You are not abnormal.
There is help and there is hope.
Sometimes it’s in the form of medication – just like insulin helps the diabetic.
Sometimes it’s in the form of having people around you that love and care about you.
And it’s always, always about knowing God sees the pain and he is with you, helping you.
People need people.
Don’t suffer alone.
Church is a good place to start.
~~~
Photo courtesy:
Underneath this icy patch are bright yellow tulips.
To the left and right of the stone path, hidden beneath, lies daisies, aster, hydrangea, bee balm, and upright phlox.
All waiting.
Patiently waiting.
Sometimes, things in life look messy. There’s nothing about this muddy, slippery, barren scene that tells the onlooker what is waiting below. In 3 months there will be splashes of beauty calling to everyone – stop and look! And touch! And smell!
You don’t know what awaits you. Don’t give up.
Only believe.
And wait.
Emotions are part of who we are.
But they aren’t the whole story.
How we feel doesn’t necessarily line up with what is true.
You may feel really blue about something. It seems as though it won’t get better.
I can tell you that it will. God does not allow pain without relief – without hope.
Whenever you are blue, remember cloudy days aren’t cloudy forever. Behind those clouds the sun is shining.
It will shine on you again – no matter what you are going through.
~~~
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A four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard , climbed onto his lap , and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor , the little boy said ,
‘Nothing , I just helped him cry’
~~~
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If you don’t look up, you will miss the gift God had for you today.
when it hurts 