In the Quiet

+ J.M.J. Have you ever been hurt before? Stupid question, right? We've all be hurt in one way or another in our lifetimes. Sometimes, the people in our lives do things that hurt us. They say things that hurt our feelings. Maybe they talk to others about us when we're not there. All of this snowballs into making you feel betrayed, hurt, and forgotten. Abandoned. Left to feel only pain. Christ knows how you feel. He was sentenced to die, and was in such agony that He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and sweat blood . His closest friends fell asleep and weren't there for Him in His worst hours of need. Jesus knows how sad you are. How hurt you are. How betrayed you feel. How justified your anger is. Guess what? It's Holy Week, the holiest, most important week of the year! Go to Jesus and let Him know how you're feeling. He understands!

+ J.M.J. Sometimes, life just hits you in the face like a tidal wave and a ton of bricks. Simultaneously.  Sometimes, life hands you lemons. Instead of making lemonade, you can only stare at the lemons, wondering where they came from. Sometimes, life stinks. Like, really really really really stinks. Everything hurts. Loss is real. Holes in your heart seem irreparable.  Then... Jesus steps in. He never left. He was there the whole time, in the background. Waiting for you to rise up out of your grief and pain into His strong loving embrace.  God is always there. Sometimes, I can't feel His presence. Sometimes, I feel like He has left me in the dust to wallow in disgrace and shame. The suffering becomes so heavy that I almost can't breathe. Yes, I'm going through a Good Friday kind of time. It may have been Easter week, but spiritually and in every other way, I'm going through a rough period. Please pray for me. God bless you, Ste...