Admitting your struggles
This past week has been full of joy, peace, reassurance, faith, love, and so many other things! I've been struggling a lot with what seems like a new struggle each day on top of the old ones. For me, its hard to admit that I struggle and even harder to admit what those struggles are. Even writing this post seems hard for me because I'm admitting that I don't have my life altogether the way I feel that I should but then again, does anyone really have everything all together?
One thing that God has really revealed to me a lot this past year has been how much people go through with out anyone knowing it. Each person you pass on the street, the cashier at the grocery store, your pastor or youth pastor, your pastors wife, your pastors kids, teachers, parents, that girl that always has the biggest smile on her face, that boy who is always helping out everyone else, your best friend, your mentor, even that one person that you look at and think "wow, they have everything anyone could ever want" they all struggle. We all struggle and its OK to admit that. For me, its almost a sigh of relief to hear that I'm not the only one who doesn't have everything all together.
My whole life I've always tried to make others smile and make sure they were happy. No matter where I was I would try to always smile and act happy but when I would go home I'd feel this loneliness. I was happy when I was with everyone, id fill my life with everything I thought a happy person needed but when I would go home and it'd be just me, my life felt empty. I felt like I had no one and here I was struggling each day by myself with no one to help me.
I have always looked to others to fulfill me. Those empty, broken pieces that I had in my life I thought would always be there until I met the right people that would help piece them back together. It never really occurred to me though, that those people were broken too. How could a broken person help fix another broken person? Wouldn't we just create even more broken pieces when trying to put each others pieces back together?
My life was completely changed when I read that the only one who could fulfill you is our Savior, Jesus Christ. I began to ask for fulfillment from God and day by day I felt those pieces (I like to think of it as a big puzzle or shattered pieces of glass) of emptiness in my life began to be filled. I found Joy, peace, fulfillment, and love because of Christ. Through my struggles, I have peace, Joy, and a reassurance because of Jesus and the fact that He died on the cross, became my sin, and rose to life again so that he could fill these empty, shattered pieces of my life and because God loves us and wants a relationship with each one of us.
This year has seemed to be the year of struggle and changes for me. I no longer feel like being happy and staying strong, I have let my struggles overtake me. I've been struggling with this one struggle for what seems like my whole life. Some days it gets really bad where the only thing keeping me going is Jesus and coffee. Other days its not so bad but still there. I've mainly just hid it from everyone and its easy to hide, unless someone has you write down your biggest struggle on a piece of paper. I could have lied or just stretched the truth a bit, but honestly, what I needed was to tell someone because it began to become such a big struggle that just keeping it to myself was almost unbearable. It began to effect my life and overtake who I am. This week has been one of my better weeks because I know that I have someone amazing praying for my struggle. I've been able to experience life and God a whole lot better knowing that this struggle isn't as strong because I'm not bearing this weight by myself because not only does Jesus have this struggle, but it's not hidden like it was. John 16:33 says "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This week, remember to show Jesus with your action and words because you never know what struggle someone could be going through. Don't be ashamed to share your struggle with even just one person because telling just one person may have been the thing that helps set that struggle free. Take heart, beloved ones, because Christ has overcome the world.
One thing that God has really revealed to me a lot this past year has been how much people go through with out anyone knowing it. Each person you pass on the street, the cashier at the grocery store, your pastor or youth pastor, your pastors wife, your pastors kids, teachers, parents, that girl that always has the biggest smile on her face, that boy who is always helping out everyone else, your best friend, your mentor, even that one person that you look at and think "wow, they have everything anyone could ever want" they all struggle. We all struggle and its OK to admit that. For me, its almost a sigh of relief to hear that I'm not the only one who doesn't have everything all together.
My whole life I've always tried to make others smile and make sure they were happy. No matter where I was I would try to always smile and act happy but when I would go home I'd feel this loneliness. I was happy when I was with everyone, id fill my life with everything I thought a happy person needed but when I would go home and it'd be just me, my life felt empty. I felt like I had no one and here I was struggling each day by myself with no one to help me.
I have always looked to others to fulfill me. Those empty, broken pieces that I had in my life I thought would always be there until I met the right people that would help piece them back together. It never really occurred to me though, that those people were broken too. How could a broken person help fix another broken person? Wouldn't we just create even more broken pieces when trying to put each others pieces back together?
My life was completely changed when I read that the only one who could fulfill you is our Savior, Jesus Christ. I began to ask for fulfillment from God and day by day I felt those pieces (I like to think of it as a big puzzle or shattered pieces of glass) of emptiness in my life began to be filled. I found Joy, peace, fulfillment, and love because of Christ. Through my struggles, I have peace, Joy, and a reassurance because of Jesus and the fact that He died on the cross, became my sin, and rose to life again so that he could fill these empty, shattered pieces of my life and because God loves us and wants a relationship with each one of us.
This year has seemed to be the year of struggle and changes for me. I no longer feel like being happy and staying strong, I have let my struggles overtake me. I've been struggling with this one struggle for what seems like my whole life. Some days it gets really bad where the only thing keeping me going is Jesus and coffee. Other days its not so bad but still there. I've mainly just hid it from everyone and its easy to hide, unless someone has you write down your biggest struggle on a piece of paper. I could have lied or just stretched the truth a bit, but honestly, what I needed was to tell someone because it began to become such a big struggle that just keeping it to myself was almost unbearable. It began to effect my life and overtake who I am. This week has been one of my better weeks because I know that I have someone amazing praying for my struggle. I've been able to experience life and God a whole lot better knowing that this struggle isn't as strong because I'm not bearing this weight by myself because not only does Jesus have this struggle, but it's not hidden like it was. John 16:33 says "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This week, remember to show Jesus with your action and words because you never know what struggle someone could be going through. Don't be ashamed to share your struggle with even just one person because telling just one person may have been the thing that helps set that struggle free. Take heart, beloved ones, because Christ has overcome the world.
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