You are not alone

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I am meandering in a direction that may or may not feel comfortable to all readers. You can choose to open your mind and read or not.

Some things more than others ring true for me, and as I get older certain truths have been confirmed and others revealed.

I value truth, acceptance, and love. I have faith in God as the Creator of the Universe and Jesus as Savior. I am not a fan of religion, for it is man’s definition/explanation of God and includes a rigid code of standards I feel fuel judgement and harsh criticism.

God does not condone such behaviors, and the highest commandment is for us to Love the Lord our God...and second to that is to love our neighbor as our self (Matt 22: 37-39).

Love is a choice. It takes work and is not always belly butterflies and romance. It is patient, kind, and long suffering. Love makes sacrifices for others and doesn’t judge, it bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things (1Cor.13:7). Love is an action—not just a feeling that comes and goes based on circumstances and mood.

I see love as the mother who wakes up an hour earlier than everyone else to pack lunches and make breakfast for her kids, the teacher who stays late to come up with extra practice problems for their struggling students, the employee that helps clean up after a meeting is over, the child who shares part of his lunch with a classmate, the friend who stays up all hours to comfort someone who is hurting.

It doesn’t always reveal itself in grand gestures, and many times love goes unnoticed in the little things: like a quick note to say someone is thinking of you, or a warm smile, or helping fold laundry, or someone bringing you a cup of tea. Love is deeply entwined with the daily grind of life and it’s easily forgotten and misunderstood. Telling someone to be safe, checking in on someone, sharing that last slice, inviting a friend over, helping a stranger, these are all acts of love. The list is not definitive and it’s easy to take love for granted, be annoyed with it, or miss it completely.

Love is the driving force for many things: relationships, children, families, friendships, favorite foods and hobbies, pets, careers, etc. What we love, who we love and how we love defines us in many ways. For example, my love for reading and writing has inspired me to work on a weekly blog! One of my love languages is Acts of Service, so I show my love to people by helping out in any way I can. I love my family, children, friends, coworkers, colleagues and pets! I love reading, writing, BBC, a complex glass of red wine, a good laugh, nature, and cold weather!

There are many times in life where I have felt alone and bereft of love. I have felt like every last ounce of energy had been wrung out of me and there was nothing left for me to give or share. In my darkest moments I have felt abandoned and shattered, and my chest hurt so badly I thought my heart had really been destroyed or ripped out. I have had some intensely empty moments.

That feeling of loneliness, and that ache in your heart—it happens to everyone at some point. The good news is, we are never truly alone. God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6).” Even during times when I doubted God or was angry and confused with the events in my life, I was not truly alone.

In fact, looking back, I have either always had someone here with me or have been there for someone else in their time of need. Even when I was sobbing in the shower on my knees—desperately sad over my losses in life— I cried out to God and knew I wasn’t alone.

We may feel rejected, depressed, alone, sad, unloved and worthless—but it is the furthest thing from the truth. We are loved, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps.139:14),” by God and He loves us so much He gave us His son to go through life’s pain and humiliation. Jesus was shamed and beaten, disrespected and ultimately killed by his own people. He is truly the ONLY one who had to endure a time of true loneliness, when his Father sacrificed him for all of humanity. THAT, my friends, is the truest kind of love.

It’s hard sometimes, to draw up the energy to remember how much we are loved by God, and to allow our lives to be filled with hope. It’s also a helpful reminder to know that God is always with us and that there is a plan in place for our lives beyond what we can see or even imagine. God takes the weak, the little, the poorest, the basest of us and uses them for His purpose. God takes the darkest moments, the most painful of circumstances, and shows us his love and teaches us His truths. He transforms us and uses the hardest moments of our lives to reveal Himself.

I think that’s one of the things I love most! God is there not only in our grand moments, but in our self pity moments. Our depths of despair moments. These are the greatest truths I can pass on to you. And as my thoughts reflect on the many ways God has shown Himself in my life I can say with confidence that we are never alone.

Nor are our situations unique! I am not the first person (and most certainly not the last) to experience separation from a spouse, to have a parent commit suicide, to have chronic health issues, to have been a child of divorce, to have been sexually harassed, bullied, teased, rejected and taken advantage of. I am not perfect and neither is anyone else. It is in our imperfections and life lessons that we learn grace and can be transformed.

I’m so thankful for the friends and acquaintances God has brought in my life, to show me I’m not alone in my journey and that I have people in my life that do care about me and that are traveling similar paths.

I'm also thankful for all the people’s lives I’ve touched because God brought me to them. My past experiences have been used countless times to relate to others and show them compassion and give them hope.

Not one of us are too insignificant to learn or to teach. We all have backstories or may be living in the midst of pain and turmoil. The best thing we can do is accept it, embrace it, and learn from it. Then we can use what we have learned and pass it along to others we meet going through similar situations.

Have hope my friends, and move forward. Know that you are never alone! Recognize the small gestures of love all around you and accept that you are a gleaming thread being woven into a tapestry of magnificence by God.