Hi friends,
Thank you for posting so many amazing comments this past weekend. Your kindness overwhelmed me and it’s amazing, but there’s a lightness in my spirit even though there is still great sadness.
I also wanted to thank those of you who shared your own difficult situations and personal grief. I sat and prayed for each one I read. There is something comforting about shared suffering. Feeling alone magnifies the pain. But sharing our pain, and having another care in return, manifests God’s love.
Romans 12 says it this way, under the heading “Love in Action” :
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
So thank you for being love in action to me and each other.
Before wrapping this up, I wanted to announce the winner of Tracie’s book, “Stress-less Living.” I’m happy to announce that in a random drawing the following winner was selected: Carolyn, posting at 5:49 a.m. on September 28th.
Thank you to all who entered.
Blessings,
Glynnis
I understand the comfort of shared suffering.
Eleven years ago at age 31, I was trying to pull out of a deep & dangerous depression. In the midst of that I was processing memories of childhood sexual abuse (age 4 1/2) that had never been shared, physically ill, & trying to hold it together to celebrate the wedding of my my little brother, my only sibling… complete with several family events before and after. I felt like I had to pretend to be alive. As much as I waned to be able to share their joy, there was just no way to feel any positive emotion. My primary goals were to stay alive and not cause pain. I took to the bed for weeks after… too depressed to find a way to leave my parent’s house long enough to kill myself, which was all I could think of. In an effort to keep me connected to the world outside, Mom would often switch of the Today Show in my bedroom. The exuberant chatter was usually like fingernails on a chalk board to me, but one day I heard cries of desperation, realizing people wee jumping to their death to escape the horror of being slowly consumed with flames. I saw suffering on a scale that made even Katie Curic & Matt Louer speechless. I watched from my bed in Mississippi as the Twin Towers burst into flames and ashes inCity of New York As the country watched the terror of 9-11 unfold that morning and ripple effects of grief in the days to come, I felt a strange hope… like a kindred spirit… Someone else finally knew the depth of my pain. Everything changed. Others walked in a state of shock, then were swept with compassion as we learned of heroic sacrifices and widespread morning. I began to heal that day. I knew I was not alone, & I was finally able to feel something for someone else… I began to pray for them.
Kelly – thank you so much for sharing this incredible story with us. Your honesty and vulnerability are amazing and refreshing. I can see God working in your life, and believe He is doing something big. You have a testimony that will bring hope and life to many. May the Lord continue to heal you from past abuse and bring unexplainable joy into your heart.
He has a wonderful future planned for you, my sister in Christ.
Love,
Glynnis
Thank you for this reminder that we need to do what God asks us to do and not what I think I should do, get involved in what I want, and spend precious time on things I know God has not given me the “go ahead” on. It’s so helpful and such a blessing when God uses your gift of writing to speak to my life and remind me to seek God’s counsel and will in all that I do. If I am feeling overwhelmed, I am out of synch with God’s plan. Thank you for this teaching today