for the hurting ...

Good Morning Friends

It is early and I am actually on my way to work

However, I had to stop and write this post

Hard to believe we are just two short weeks from the first day of Spring

In fact, time ‘springs forward’ this weekend

Today is Friday and the first week of March … has marched on

Time stops for no man … or woman

But, there is a saying that ‘time heals all wounds’

                However, that is simply not true

Time cannot erase feelings of loss or missing someone so precious to you

No – in those instances, time just passes.

This thought has repeatedly entered my mind over the past few days 

There is a someone so special to me who is heavy on my heart today –

Truthfully, they have been on my heart all week

And I know time does not heal the hurt

You see, some days are great days of remembrance –

For me, it is the birthdays of my sons, my parents and close friends,

It is holidays like Christmas,Valentine’s Day, Father's Day & Mother's Day

It is March 23^rd – a day which holds special significance for me

However – not every day of remembrance is a great day

No – some days of remembrance can evoke feelings of sorrow and loss

Today is one of those days – but not because I experienced a personal loss

               

One of the shortest verses in the Bible is found in John 11:35

And it simply states, ‘Jesus wept.’

His friend Lazarus had died and He had just arrived in town;

That is when He encountered Lazarus’ sister Mary.

Scripture notes, ‘When Jesus saw her weeping …

He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled’ John 11:33

FOR THE HURTING ... 

Sometimes you are moved for your own situation;

Sometimes you are moved by the situations of others

‘We weep with those who are weeping’ Romans 12:15

Just as the Father cares for that which concerns us

There are those special people in your life where you care about what concerns them –

                truly care …

In those situations, you demonstrate compassion –

And you understand that time does not heal all wounds

To my special one – and to all who may be hurting – know this:

I am praying for you today and always

I pray that something would happen today to brighten your countenance,

to place a smile on your face

I wish more than anything that I could give you a giant hug –

Not that it will fix what hurts. How could it?

But in the absence of a physical hug,

I pray that the LORD’s presence would be tangible to you today –

                So tangible that it would feel like an actual hug.

Scripture says, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning’ Ps. 30:5

The truth is – weeping may endure for many nights .. and even years intermittently.

However, I am praying for you continually;

I am praying that there will be a dawn breaking which ushers joy into your spirit

                even in the midst of the sadness,

Today and any day your heart aches

Have a Blessed Day,

I love you much …

LOVE 2020: LOVE CARES

Good Evening …

I hope you had a good day today –

We have made it past the mid-point of the week,

And I pray that your week is going well

A couple of days ago, I wrote about the need to love living

It is so important –

However, I also realize how difficult that may be for some people;

They are not sure if they will ever love living again;

And it is not that they want to die – they just don’t want to go on living the way they are

Whether it is past regrets, a bad habit that cannot be shaken,

The intense sadness and loneliness of losing a loved one, health issue, financial reversals.

                Or a combination of all these things

It makes it exceedingly difficult to love living

And to all of those people [all of us people] I say,

Love cares … and love speaks cry

The LORD, who is love, cares for you – and everything that concerns you

He cares when you’re overwhelmed,

He cares when you are consumed with sadness,

He cares and is there every time you shed tears of sorrow – internally and externally

Psalm 56:8 captures the thoughts of a psalmist who may have been hurting –

                Just like the people I just described,

Yet he speaks from a place of quiet confidence,

‘You [LORD] keep track of my sorrows.

You have collected all of my tears in Your bottle

You have recorded each one in Your book.’

That is powerful that He takes account of every tear;

Because I lose count of the tear drops in just one crying session

Yet, He is present for every single one.

He speaks cry …

Several years back, I was watching a conference online –

The guest speaker was pastor and teacher, Sheryl Brady.

And as she was sharing her heart about the presence of God, she noted:

”He even understands what the tear meant that rolled down your face in the middle of the night across the bridge of your nose onto your pillow … He hears and He knows. He knows what you’re saying and He knows what you’re not saying…” 

It made me think back to when my children were small and the cries they would make:

There was a cry that meant ‘Change me’ and there was the cry that meant ‘Feed me’ and the cry that meant ‘Burp me, please … I am about to explode!’  There was the cry that said ‘I’m sleepy’ and, of course, there was the cry that simply meant, ‘Please hold me ... I just need to know you are near.’ 

I love them more than I could ever express,

And I wanted nothing more than to tend to every need.

Yet, even with all the love I had [and still have] as a parent – GOD’S LOVE IS GREATER

Our Heavenly Father loves us more than any parent ever could

And He, also familiar with our cries, hears our cries –

He knows the meaning of every tear, every sob, every sigh. And when we weep, shedding more tears than could ever be counted by us, crying what becomes a flowing stream or river, He sees each individual tear and can tell what each one represents. He knows what each one means without us speaking a word:

• §       He knows the cry that begs ‘Change me … I cannot change myself’
• §       He translates the cry which says ‘I am hungry for YOU … please feed me'
• §       He understands the cry that screams ‘I am about to explode!’
• §       He knows that one tear that says ‘I am so tired I don't know what to do’
• §       He comprehends the river of tears which whisper ‘I need You to hold me, to know that you are not only near, but here.'

He cares for that which concerns us (I Peter 5:7) and He loved us all so much that He sent Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). He cares for you.

He speaks every language under heaven and ...

He speaks, understands and responds to ‘cry’

Be encouraged dear friends and know I am praying with you and for you …

Have a Blessed Evening…