Helping Broken

“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing above us, nothing below us, not anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39

I officiated at a funeral this weekend that broke my heart.  His life reflected the love of Jesus, and his serving made a difference in the lives of many people.  His own struggle and pain became overwhelming to him.  His life had meaning and purpose and will continue to make a difference in this world.  I share some of my thoughts and words from his service………

We each have some type of inner turmoil.  We want to make a difference and put the pieces of life together.  We strive to be enough, serve enough, and give enough.  We think we fall short so many times and feel less than we expect we should be.  We think we should be able to handle situations on our own and be strong enough to withstand the storms of life.  We want to prove to God we are capable.  But fear takes over.  Sometimes we choose fear over faith which is part of depression.

We all have struggles in some way in life.  We believe in Jesus and know God is with us in life, but we fall short of totally surrendering every aspect of our lives to Jesus.  We don’t give him our struggles because we think we should not struggle as a believer, or we should be strong enough to fulfill our purpose in life on our own.

We live in a broken and fallen world.  The struggles, fears, hurts, and daily life can overwhelm us.  We know in our heads that Jesus is the answer to everything, and Jesus is with us.  But we are ashamed when we feel the struggles, and think we are not trusting Jesus enough.  We are not good enough and don’t have enough faith.  Depression, anxiety, and addictions are the diseases from this broken world.  They take over.  Depression is the fear of the past that we are not enough and not good enough and will never be.  Anxiety is the fear of the future causing us to worry about what will happen and will we find our purpose.  Addictions are the fear of living now so we escape through one of the many addictions.

God created us to live in community with one another.  When we cannot hear Jesus, someone else can and will come and walk beside us.  Listen to them speak the name of Jesus and his love and grace into your heart and life.  Asking for help is not a weakness, but it shows courage.  Do not be afraid and feel shame when you reach out for help.  Life is hard at times, and nobody is perfect nor required to be.  God’s grace is sufficient.  We need to give grace to ourselves. 

When someone offers to help you in the struggles of life, accept the offer.  Do not let pride stand in the way of getting help in your struggles.  God made us to need each other and to depend on each other to help us grow closer to God.

Nothing separates us from God’s love.  No matter what you do or do not do, God loves you.  God’s love and grace is not based on our performance.  It is not based on who we are but on whose we are – God’s child.

 If you are struggling with life today – with depression, fear, anxiety, addiction – whatever it is, reach out for help.  If you know someone who is struggling, reach out to them again and don’t give up.  Our purpose in life is to love Jesus and be in relationship with Jesus and one another.  Each day our purpose is to be in the presence of God and to experience God’s love for us.  It is out of this love that we serve and glorify God.

If you are struggling in your walk with Jesus and feeling that you are not good enough and not measuring up.  Your anxiety, depression and fear is consuming you.  God still loves you.  Nothing, not even depression, anxiety and fear separates you from God’s love for you.  Allow God to come to you through those around you.  Ask for help. You may not think you can help someone else when you feel broken, but sometimes that is what another person needs – someone who has struggles but is depending on Jesus in them.  Allow God to carry you through the struggles.  Surrender and receive God’s grace and forgiveness.

You are loved.  You are God’s child.  You are in relationship with others who will walk beside you and love you with the love of God.

Come Jesus Come

“Sometimes I fall to my knees and pray, Come Jesus come.  Let today be the day.  Sometimes I feel like I’m gonna break. But I’m holding on to a hope that won’t fade.  Come Jesus come.”

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Need some help?

·       Read my blogs and newspaper articles – www.livinginthedifferent.com

·       Reach out to a friend or pastor or counselor

·       Suicide and Crisis Hotline – 988 (Call or Text)

·       National Mental Health Hotline – 1-866-903-3787

·       National Alliance On Mental Illness Helpline – 1-800-950-6264