Hurts, heartaches, horrible depression, and more
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| Art work by Betty Fraley |
I have been mentoring, encouraging, and learning from
friends with bipolar disease and severe depression, a life long depression, or
a deep hurt that plagues them every day, every hour. God keeps sending these folks to me and I
hurt for them. Their daily lives are
plagued with unrest, hurt, despair, and unimaginable mental and emotional
pain.
It puzzles me why God sends these people to me because I
know nothing about how to fix them. I do
pray for them. I try to write
encouraging messages or share positive thoughts and views with them. However, I am so inept, so insecure in this
ministry that I totally lean on God. I
am weak. Weak in a way that I just don’t
know what could keep these folks encouraged or how to experience daily joy. My only answer is Jesus, the healer, the
provider, the counselor, and the one who is always faithful. How do I impart that answer into them?
Spending over twenty years as a Young Life teacher and
counselor taught me one clear principle.
Begin where they are. Relate to
their life this day. Sometimes that is
so hard for me because God wired me as a positive, mostly happy woman. I forgive quickly and don’t hold
grudges. Nothing I do; God just made me
that way. I can find silver linings in
most lessons and experiences in my life.
However, when I talk with these friends, those silver linings are more
difficult to find and explain. So, I am
back to all I know to do. Pray.
I do know that scripture makes it clear that grace and truth
are Jesus’ provisions to us. He has a
plan for our lives. He’s got my hand and I’ve got His. That is all I know to impart to my hurting
friends. He’s got their hand and all
they need is to hold tightly. I think my plea today is for us all to be
sensitive to others. We don’t know their
story, hurts, or pain. Be diligent to
pray for those the Lord brings to you.
That’s all I know. Pray and pray
some more.
