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WORDS!



When the going gets tough, the platitudes and scriptures to pray get thrown at the ones sitting in the valley. I’m as guilty as anyone of responding in this manner. I want to provide Truth and assurance to those I love and care about when they’re struggling and this usually works for me. When I am in a good place, hearing these things correct my path and my focus. But when I am tired and weary of the length of the time in the valley, hearing, “but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5) may not bring the joy when the sun rises the next morning.  

I was having one of those rough nights on Monday evening and my sweet friend who I reached out to in my time of need told me tomorrow is another day and we all fall off the emotional wagon, just get back on, continue to cope…this too shall pass. Uh, yeah. I’ll get right on that. Of course, I was not getting right on that. If I was, I could have told myself that. What I really wanted was to be heard and cared for in that moment. Instead, I replied flippantly with, “Yep. Buck up. Pull my boots up. Be a good soldier. Keep on keeping on. Got it. On the plan.”  We all know that I was doing none of those things. I was going to take some time and wallow in this place of struggle and hurt instead because what I had been trying to do wasn't working. What wallowing in it buys me, I’m not really sure, but that is where I was. If I am honest, I was growing weary of preaching the Gospel to myself which was falling on my own deaf ears which is why I needed someone else to help me. You know, that whole "two are better than one" (Ecclesisates 4:9-12) thing. *Sigh*

Yesterday, I wrote down what was coming to mind because it was feeling a little challenged still and needed to focus and get through the day ahead. These words were taunting me a bit as I began to write them down, but as I finished writing the third item on my list, the next stuff came to me to remind me that God doesn’t just give us a bunch of words and tell us to get through it, He tells us to come to HIM all who are weary. The rest of what I wrote turned out to be how I ended up preaching the Gospel to myself and hearing His voice and Truth and not the empty words I had started with.

Some days will be hard, my friends. Really, really hard! You will long for the promises He whispered to you to be fulfilled. You will long for someone to see you, hold you, carry you, hide you…HE will. Just keep seeking Him. Start in His Word and He will meet you there. Just like He did (and does) with me. His timing is always perfect.

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