Hope for the Broken

A good friend of mine recently shared about a circumstance, regarding a relationship, that they are going through and how it has created a great burden in their heart. Hearing this caused pain in my own heart, simply because how I care for that person and because I am familiar with the pain they are dealing with.

Being sad is something I have felt several times before, as with most people.

But true heartache? Real pain?
That's a feeling that seriously affects a person.
There have been a few times when I've felt true heart-brokenness and depression.
...And it really hurts.

I've realized that the majority of people have gone through some form of true heart-brokenness.
Whether it's a relationship with another guy/girl that fails,
Or a person's parents are divorced,
Or someone you had a deep friendship with dies,
Or maybe you've been abused or bullied.

The possibilities are endless,
much like the pain, or at least it feels that way.

And honestly, I can't explain why certain things happen. I don't know all the answers; in fact, I know very little. But I do know what the truth of God is. And I know there are so many people, SO many who need to hear it.

Check out these verses, straight from God:

Psalm 34:18
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Romans 8:28

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Matthew 5:4
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Whatever you may be going through today, I promise that God is with you.
I promise that God has a purpose and a plan.
Trust Him with all you are and He will pull you through.
 How do I know this? Because that's what He did for me, and that's what He does for every child of His. :)

What went wrong?

Earlier today I heard the sad news, that a girl (who we'll call Elizabeth) I knew back in my childhood had been found dead this morning by her mother. When I was told, my heart instantly broke. There are questions about possible drug overdoses in relation to suicide or perhaps that it was an accident - no one is sure just yet.

Before I was homeschooled, I attended a public elementary school from K-5th, and for some period of that time, she and I had been close friends. It probably has been a good six years since I've seen or spoken with her. To hear that someone I once knew had died, it made me wonder what went wrong. If it was a drug overdose, if it was suicide, what went wrong? Why was she aching so much that she went to such lengths as death? Even though I don't really know her now, I wonder what could have been done differently, so that the outcome wouldn't have been what it is now.

Honestly, hearing of what happened to her, scared me. It threw reality upon me. I mean, we all know that everyone dies, we all know that people are dying everyday. Or do we?
Do we really understand and appreciate the fact that people are constantly dying?
150,000 people die every single day... and to think that most of those people don't even know Jesus, well that makes me want to cry.

I think the reason her death was such an impact to me is because was so young, only 17. In my eyes, she really hadn't even begun life yet. She was just starting out, and to think now she's gone and probably not in Heaven, that hurts. After thinking through this a bit, there's a few things it reminded me of:

LIFE IS VALUABLE
Often, we live everyday as if we know there will be a tomorrow. We live as if it's just another day and we forget the significance that is found within each day we are given. We take each day for granted, rather than in thankfulness and gratefulness towards God. How many days do we wake up cranky and complain about SOMETHING, rather than being so thankful that God has a reason that we are still living, that His plan for us is not fulfilled yet and so we must keep working hard by serving Him? I can say that some days, when I'm getting up at 6am for work, that's definitely not my attitude... but how I wish it was! Life is valuable, and God gives it to us for a reason, for a purpose, not to squander it or waste it.

LIFE IS SHORT
We will never know what day is our last, until that day comes. Often times I think we have an attitude that in our youth, we have so long to go, and because of this, we forget that our days are numbered, that there really is an end. Consequently, we waste our days. We treat our minutes of life as nearly valueless, rather than priceless.

THE GOOD NEWS
Something that really struck me is that I wonder if Elizabeth knew the good news of Jesus. Had she heard? Did she care? Would it have made a difference? Everyone needs to hear about Jesus. How often do we slack off on sharing, or because we're too afraid and honestly, don't really trust God for the powerful and mighty God that He is, we back down and keep our mouths shut about Jesus. Who needs to hear his Gospel? How many people today are feeling hopeless, how many peoples hearts are broken and they are lonely? How many of those people could I be sharing with? How many of those people could you be sharing with? 

We only have one life, and only so much time and limited opportunity to share about Jesus.
Why are we so selfish to not share with people who desperately need to hear this truth? It makes me angry, and even angry at myself for being selfish and not sharing sometimes.
Who could you share with today? Who needs to hear the good news of Jesus, about His love, about what He did for us, and why living this life for Him is more than worth it?